November 1 is All Saints’ Day, dedicated to praising God for saving so many souls and bringing them to the eternal happiness of Heaven.

This liturgical celebration begins on the evening of October 31, All Hallows’ Eve, and extends throughout November 1 to celebrate the victory of all people who live in heaven along with the canonized saints, who now enjoy eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven.

Pope Boniface IV formally established this day, which would come to be known as All Saints’ Day, on May 13, 609, by dedicating the Pantheon of Rome as a church in honor of the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs.

But it was Pope Gregory III who promoted that idea during his time as pontiff (731-741), by consecrating a chapel in the original St. Peter’s Basilica on November 1 in honor of the saints, followed by Pope Gregory IV’s proclamation in the year 835 of that date as All Saints’ Day, to then honor them in all churches.

Although many canonized saints have specific feast days, such as Saint Patrick, Saint Joseph, and Pope Saint John Paul II, saints who have not been canonized do not have their own feast days, which is why All Saints’ Day is dedicated to praising them all together.

All Saints’ Day is celebrated globally, not just in the United States. In the Spanish-speaking countries of the world, it has special significance.

In Spain, relatives usually bring flowers to the graves of their loved ones, a practice also followed in countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

In Mexico, along with Bolivia and Peru, the celebration begins on October 28, when an altar is prepared, and offerings are placed for loved ones who have died.

In Ecuador, the whole family celebrates with a traditional dinner. In Nicaragua, devotees spend the night in the cemetery sleeping next to the graves of their loved ones.

All Hispanics have something in common: their commitment to attend Mass on November 1 to celebrate All Saints’ Day, to remember the saints with admiration, and to ask for their intercession for personal needs.

On November 1, all Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral will celebrate All Saints’ Day, using white as the liturgical color for this holiday, thus symbolizing the holiness and purity of all the saints in Heaven.

An All Saints’ Day Prayer

“Almighty and eternal God, by whose gift we venerate in a single celebration the merits of all the saints, grant us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, the abundance of reconciliation with you for which we earnestly long. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.”