The Meaning of Halloween!
Halloween translates to All Hallows’ Eve, or the eve of all holy men and women. During this time we are called to remember and celebrate the communion of saints, communio sanctorum. This terminology refers to the church militant for those living on earth, the church suffering for those in purgatory, and the church triumphant for those in Heaven. For Catholics, October 31 is supposed to be the celebration and liturgical vigil of All Saints (November 1), which is a solemnity and a holy day of obligation. We honor the Church Triumphant and recall the many great saints that we love and seek to be like. Following that we celebrate those soon to be saints on what is known as All Souls Day. We pray for the suffering church, those in purgatory, and especially our loved ones that have gone before us.
All Hallows’ Eve & All Saints
Catholic Saint Snacks
These are adorable ideas from Catholic Icing but here are a few more.
- St. Bernadette’s Firewood (Jumbo Pretzel Sticks)
- St. Isadore’s Pumpkin Patch (Small Candy Pumpkins)
- St. Francis (Animal Crackers)
- St. Nicholas (Candy Canes)
- Our Lady of Mt. Caramel (Caramel Squares)
- St. Joan of Arc (Flaming Hot Cheetos)
- St. Lucy (Grapes or Olives for eyes)
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Small Sandwiches)
- St. Peter or St. Lawrence (Waffle Pretzels)
- Mary, Mother of God (They have no wine, water bottles)
Play Guess How Many
- Following the same food themes you could make a game out of it as well. Put those items in a jar and have your children or your guests guess how many!
Dress Up as Saints or a Symbol of the Faith
Pick a saint to learn about during this season and dress up like them.
Saint Philomena
Franciscan Brother or Friar, Benedictine, Carthusian
Make Your Own Saint Shrine
I found this PDF template that you can download, color, and cut out. Place your favorite saint card or print in the shrine and add an electric tea light in front of it.
http://www.ardanziger.com/2015/10/all-hallows-eve-shrine-templates.html
Go To Mass
All Saints is a solemnity and a holy day of obligation so go to Mass together. If you are social distancing take time to pray the Liturgy of the Hours as a family or pray a Rosary.
Make a Saint Craft
Engaging children in hands on activities can help them learn about and retain information in a more meaningful way. Pick a saint that you are going to learn about and create something together that you can display or play with.
Paint Saint Pumpkins
While I suppose you could carve a saint pumpkin, why not have some fun with paint. You could trace an image onto a pumpkin or draw it free hand.
Play Saint Games
Whether you are having a big party or at home with your own kids these games from Happy Saints look like a lot of fun.
SAINT bingo: a simple way to add something fun and educational to your All Saints’ Day party!
http://www.catholicplayground.com/saints-bingo/all-saints-day-bingo.html
“To be holy isn’t easy, but it isn’t difficult either. To be holy is to be a good Christian, to resemble Christ. The more closely a person resembles Christ, the more Christian he is, the more he belongs to Christ, the holier he is.” (The Forge, #10) Saint Josemaria Escriva