Friday, October 31, 2008

Todos Los Santos

All Saints Day: Not a sad event, but a joyous reaffirmation of life.



November 1 is celebrated throughout the Catholic world as Día de Todos Santos, or All Saints Day, to honor all the saints, known and unknown, of the Catholic faithful.

Every day of the year has its own saint or saints, but there are more saints than calendar days, and this one major holy day honors them all, including those who had died in a state of grace but had not been canonized.

And, to keep things fair,

November 2 is celebrated as the Day of All Souls.

Día de Todos Santosis also known as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Like many other Catholic celebrations, in the New World it was grafted onto existing indigenous festivities to meld the "new" Catholicism with the "old" pagan beliefs.


For all our departed brothers and sisters here's a prayer for them:



"The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee.
All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee,
O Blessed Trinity, one God!"



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