Celebrating All Saints Day

 All Saints’ Day is a very important day. It is a significant day in our Catholic faith because it celebrates and recognizes all of the saints, not just individual ones. In my family, we celebrate our saint’s name feast day throughout the year with a cake or a card. This makes me feel loved and special. My middle name is Frances, and my feast day is March 9, the day we commemorate Saint Frances of Rome.

What is special about All Saints’ Day is that it is everyone's feast day! It is the feast of all the saints in heaven who are our friends. This helps remind me that we are all called to be saints, and we can pray for the grace of God to help us become saints, just like Saint Carlo Acutis did. 

For All Saints’ Day, my mom brings all the statues and holy images that we have in the house, places them on the table and lights candles around them. She explained to me that this is a visual reminder of only a tiny portion of all of the saints in heaven. 

One of my favorite saints is Saint Joan of Arc because she was an ordinary girl with extraordinary faith. Her greatest virtue that I admire is her courage. She had the courage to lead the French army knowing the possible consequences, and yet, she still did it because of her outstanding faith in God. 

I attend St. Peter Catholic School, Covington, and in third grade, our whole class dressed up as saints and paraded around the church. This is another visual reminder to ask for the intercession of our heavenly friends. It was fun to see all the different saints and how people imagined them. In fifth grade, we made pumpkins and decorated them as our personal “Saint of the Year.” These pumpkins were then displayed for all the school to see and admire. As for the “Saint of the Year,” this tradition starts in fourth grade and ends in seventh grade. Students randomly pick a saint at the start of the year and become someone they learn about through research and projects, and we prayerfully ask for their intercession throughout the year. 

These are some examples of how I celebrate All Saints’ Day with my family and at school. I am grateful for all the saints and for their example and inspiration to me.