The Catholic Church celebrates All Saints' Day on November 1, commemorating all the faithful who have attained salvation after death, including those who have not been formally declared saints.
The 1970 Roman Missal introduced a new preface explaining that the feast encompasses not only canonised saints but also all those who have attained perfection, including deceased relatives and friends. It also emphasises that holiness is the calling of every baptised person.
In Poland, people traditionally visit the graves of relatives and friends on November 1. Candles placed on graves symbolise hope and remembrance, while flowers represent selfless love.
Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on All Saints' Day. The liturgy includes the Litany of the Saints, one of the Church's oldest litanies.
In his 2017 reflection before the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis described the feast as our celebration because God's holiness has touched our lives.
He compared saints to church stained-glass windows that let light through in different colours, saying they receive God's light and pass it on to the world in their own way.
He also referred to the Beatitudes as a guide to Christian life and said true happiness comes from being with the Lord and living for love.
From November 1 to 8, Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence for souls in purgatory by visiting a cemetery and meeting the Church's conditions.
These include being in a state of sanctifying grace, having no attachment to grave sin, receiving Communion on the day of the visit, praying the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, and praying for the Pope's intentions.
All Saints' Day is one of the oldest Christian celebrations. Its origins date back to the early Church, when Christians honoured martyrs and visited their graves on the anniversaries of their deaths. In the fourth century, all martyrs began to be commemorated together.
Pope Boniface IV gave the feast a more clearly defined character in 609, initially celebrating it in Rome on May 13.
The date of November 1 was introduced in 741 under Pope Gregory III. Pope Gregory IV established the feast across the Roman Empire, and Pope John XI extended it to the whole Church in 935.
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Source: PAP