Halloween or the Hallowed?

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In the excitement of creating elaborate Halloween displays, designing costumes, carving pumpkins, and buying enough candy to last the night, the original meaning of Halloween might be forgotten or overlooked—except at schools where children dress up as saints! Halloween is the eve before the feast of All Saints. Hallowed means holy, as in the Our Father’s “hallowed be Thy name.” Halloween = Hallowed eve. November 1 is the day we celebrate all of the saints from the oldest to the youngest, the most popular to the forgotten, the powerful to the meek and humble, those canonized centuries ago, and those canonized this month like St. Pope Paul VI and St. Oscar Romero. We Catholics regard those who have shown the way to be holy on earth as models and inspirations but also as friends. We ask them to pray for us for trivial things such as losing our key for the umpteenth time and for serious matters like conquering cancer. Click to continue

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