Feast Days · November 1, 2026 · Draft for Tony's review

All Saints and All Souls: Praying for the Holy Souls in November

On November 1 the Church celebrates All Saints' Day: every saint in heaven, the famous ones and the millions whose names only God knows. It's a holy day of obligation in most years. (In the U.S., when November 1 falls on a Saturday or Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday.)

The next day, November 2, is All Souls' Day. On it we pray for everyone who has died in God's friendship but is still being purified before entering heaven, the souls in purgatory. The Church gives the whole month of November to this. Many Catholics visit cemeteries, write the names of their dead in a book at church, or have Masses offered for them.

Memento mori, "remember that you will die," fits this month too. It isn't gloomy. It's a reminder to live today for what lasts.

A short prayer you can say any time this month: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."