All Saints and All Souls Day 2025
In this year that is drawing to a close, Mother Church has observed her Ordinary Jubilee Year with contemplation of the “Pilgrimage of Hope” that should be all of life. The virtue of hope, as the Catechism explains, points us toward our ultimate joy: it is “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of God and eternal life as our happiness” (CCC §1817).
November is an appropriate time to recall the goal of hope’s pilgrimage, not only to refresh one’s focus as the year ends, but because this month is especially dedicated to the Communion of Saints. By this sacred bond, the faithful on earth, the Church Militant, are joined with those who have gone before, both the Church Triumphant in heaven and the Church Suffering in Purgatory.
All Saints Day
November 1 is the joyous Solemnity of All Saints, honoring in one celebration all the holy ones venerated throughout the Church’s history and the countless others in heaven who remain unknown. This day invites us to behold the examples of human beings like us who reached the goal of hope, our elder brothers and sisters in Christ, who now help us with their prayers as we seek to join them.
Day of Obligation
This year All Saints is not a Holy Day of Obligation, as it falls on a Saturday, but attending Mass is still an excellent way to honor and draw close to our exalted family in heaven. At Our Lady’s Shrine, it will be the occasion of Cardinal Burke’s next Solemn Pontifical Mass. All are invited to join in this celebration of the glorious Solemnity, where many of the Shrine’s abundant treasury of saints’ relics will be brought out.
Praying for the Departed
The following day, November 2, is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, better known simply as All Souls Day. This day above all is devoted to praying for the deceased: relatives, friends, those dead who have no one to pray for them. The whole Church unites in prayer for the souls who are still being purified in Purgatory, to speed their preparation for Heaven.
Indulgences for the Holy Souls
This day and month are a graced opportunity to help the souls waiting to see God; indulgences can be gained, under the usual conditions, by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead. During this Jubilee Year, one can also gain an indulgence by a visit to Our Lady’s Shrine in La Crosse; to offer one’s pilgrimage indulgence for departed souls would be a most fitting November devotion.
Hope in the Resurrection
This month the Church calls her children to remember the hope that ultimately shines above all darkness on earth, the hope of eternal life in Christ. We rejoice in the example of the saints in heaven, trusting in their prayers and hoping to join them. We also have the consolation of knowing that we can help our brothers and sisters in Purgatory, and that they are on their way to a new and greater life. In this light, the follower of Christ can look at all of life in a spirit of hope, for its goal is the supreme joy: eternal union with God Himself.
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