All Saints Day

All Saints has no single birth-to-death biography. It celebrates those who have reached communion with God: canonized saints, lesser-known Christians and people whose holiness was known only to those near them or to God. The Church’s remembrance of martyrs eventually broadened into a celebration of all the saints.

In 2026 the solemnity falls on Sunday. Its Gospel is the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Jesus calls the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers and those who suffer for righteousness blessed; the passage portrays holiness through dependence on God and love of neighbor rather than public achievement.

November 1 has been observed for many centuries; its history developed gradually, not through one modern decree. The Litany of the Saints, with its repeated petitions for the saints’ prayers, is especially fitting. All Saints, pray for us!