Good morning!
As you may know, today is All Saints Day—an ideal time for prayerful reflection on saints, both known and unknown.
A History of All Saints Day
The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).
How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast, now recognized as a solemnity, in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.
Great Books to Remember Our Canonized Saints
Treasury of Women Saints by Rhonda Chervin
You will be fascinated and inspired by stories of more than 200 women saints. From mothers like Elizabeth of Hungary, to prophetic saints like Hildegard of Bingen, to mystics like Julian of Norwich, this treasury chronicles Catholicism's most beloved women saints from the early Church to modern times.
Saint Francis, Pope Francis by Gina Loehr
St. Francis lived a life of dedication to the Gospel. In choosing this great saint as patron, Pope Francis signaled early on that his papacy would reflect a profound embrace of that same Gospel.
Joseph, the Man Who Raised Jesus by Fr. Gary Caster
Let Fr. Gary Caster introduce you to the man who risked everything to care for Mary and her Son, safeguarding them from harm and cherishing them with a pure and true love. Joseph was a flesh-and-blood testimony of what it means to live according to the Father's will with one's mind and heart centered on Christ.
Junipero Serra: A Short Biography by Kerry Walters
This book is a great introduction to one of our newest saints and the only saint to be canonized on American soil. Founder of missions, preacher of the faith, and center of controversy, Franciscan Junipero Serra was a man of complexity and contradictions.
I thank you for your continued patronage and support of the Franciscan Order. Your purchases and participation in our online ministry help us continue to preach the renewing word of God and touch millions of lives each year.
Peace and all good,
Fr. Dan Kroger
CEO of Franciscan Media
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