On All Saints Day, an explanation of the communion of saints and how to keep the day holy beyond Mass

All Saints’ Day, a holy day of obligation when Catholics are called to Mass, is Wednesday, Nov. 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church — not just those who have been canonized but all who made it to Heaven. The next day, All Souls’ Day, is dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven.

The common tradition on All Saints’ Day is celebrating with family and remembering those who have passed by attending Mass. It is also a day to seek out a saint for intervention or your favorite saint who doesn’t have a feast day, said Father John Gordon, Secretary for Evangelization in the Archdiocese of Newark.

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During an All Saints’ Day Mass, the Beatitudes are read. The First Reading is from Revelations: “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” This gives the picture of heaven, said Father Gordon, a “vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” The second reading is from the Gospel of John, which Father Gordon said reveals our want to become like God: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.”

What is meant when we say we believe in the communion of saints in the Apostles’ Creed? According to Catholic doctrine, the communion of saints is “the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head and in a constant interchange of supernatural offices. The participants in that solidarity are called saints by reason of their destination and their partaking of the fruits of the Redemption. The damned are thus excluded from the communion of saints. The living, even if they do not belong to the body of the true Church, share in it, according to the measure of their union with Christ and with the soul of the Church.”

The communion of saints is a communion, a union, and a common bond we share with the saints, Father Gordon said. It is the spiritual union of the members of the Church — both the living and the dead. We are all part of one body with Christ at the head. It is all of us, he said.

“We have the same spiritual goods with the saints,” he said. “Each member contributes to the good of all and shares in the benefit of all.” All Saints’ Day was begun in the sixth century by Pope Boniface IV, who set aside a day in May for it in addition to consecrating the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all Catholic martyrs. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated Nov. 1 to the saints and their relics.

Some older traditions for All Saints’ Day include visiting the grave sites of loved ones and relatives to pay tribute to those who have passed. Many Catholic schools celebrate All Saints’ Day by having students come to school dressed as their favorite saints.

A few days after All Saints’ Day, Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark will celebrate Cemetery Sunday on Nov. 5 inviting all to celebrate their faith in eternal life by visiting one of its cemeteries and their chapels to pray.

Also on Nov. 5, the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark will host a Memorial Concert in Honor of the Faithfully Departed at 3 p.m. The concert titled, “Lux Aeterna” by Morten Lauridsen (with the Cathedral choir, soloists, orchestra, conductor John Miller, and organist Kristin Dabaghian ), is intended to provide comfort and consolation for all who have lost a loved one.  Guests are invited to inscribe the names of their beloved deceased in a book of remembrance. A brief pre-concert lecture to the bereaved will take place at 2:20 p.m. in the Cathedral’s Lady Chapel. The concert is open to the public, and tickets are not required. A free-will offering will be received.

Now is also a good time for families to learn about saints, and there are many movies to help. Loyola Press has published its list of top 10 movies about saints such as “Song of Bernadette” (1943) and “Joan of Arc” (1948). The list also includes movies with modern-day saints such as “The Saint of 9/11” (2006) about an Archdiocese of Newark friar, Father Mychal Judge, OFM, who died ministering following the World Trade Center attack.