Agnes and Marie Goretti were only 12 when they were martyred; Anthony of the Desert died at 105. God’s saints come in every size, shape, color and age. Some saints are remembered by name, but most are unknown to us. Known or unknown, they have one great thing in common - during their lives, all helped to announce the dominion of God.

The idea of holding one feast to celebrate all holy women and men seems to have been born in the early centuries of Christianity. In the Byzantine rite, All Saints’ Day is celebrated in spring.

In the Latin rite, in 844 Pope Gregory IV set November 1 as the date for a festival in honor of all the saints. Why this date was chosen is unknown.

Whatever the reason, All Saints’ Day is a celebration perfectly suited to autumn. As we draw toward the end of the agricultural year, we celebrate God’s harvest of all people throughout history who have shown love, joy and service to others. That’s why All Saints and its holy eve, Halloween, are made bright with autumn fruits, vegetables and flowers. That’s why it’s customary to celebrate with apple-bobbing and pumpkin carving and harvest games. And that’s why All Saints’ Day is begun with a night of trick-or-treating. People give and receive hospitality, the hallmark virtue of the saints.

In the early years of the church, saints were proclaimed by the members of their villages and towns. In about the tenth century the first canonizations took place. These were official statements by the pope that someone was clearly a saint. The number of canonized saints is relatively small. Today we rejoice in the communion of saints.

From Companion to the Calendar, M.E.Hynes