As All Saints Day comes to a close, I find myself reminiscing how beautiful of a feast it is, and my fond memories of walking through Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I wrote today on Google+:
“(All Saints Day) is the best day of the year to visit St. Peter’s, Rome. All altars are lit in honor of the Saints. Saints of God, pray 4 Us!”
My Canossian community has practiced this tradition for centuries, placing the Saints on the altar to commemorate their heroic lives on their special day:
From left to right:
– St Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us!
– St Stephen Protomartyr, Pray for Us!
– St Josephine Bakhita (Canossian Sister), Pray for Us!
– St Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pray for Us!
– The Holy wood of the Cross of Christ.
– Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, Pray for Us!
– Saint Catherine Laboure, Pray for Us!
– St Magdalene of Canossa (Our Foundress), Pray for Us!
What a vision to behold…to imagine…the Saints, the holy ones of heaven! And today, that is exactly what the liturgy concentrates on; To recall the great gift we have in the many luminous examples of the Christian Life that have gone before us to share in the heavenly reward with Christ. It is often argued, no one knows for sure who is in heaven and who is not. In her wisdom, the Church has put forth good examples from every walk of life of holy men and women, so to inspire the faithful towards holiness.
I mention only a few who have been beacons of light in my life.
The list could go on forever…St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Paul of the Cross, St Francis Xavier, St Dominic, St Catherine, St Francis, St Clare, …
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
May all the Saints of heaven, pray for us. Omnium Sanctorum, Orate pro nobis.
If you have a favorite saint, why not add it in the comments. Let us honor them today. Here are some suggestions from the comments:
St Maximilian Kolbe, Pray for Us!
St Anthony of Padua, Pray for Us!
St Jude, Pray for Us!
Greg added:
St Pio of Petricina, Pray for Us!
St Therese of the Child Jesus, Pray for Us!
Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pray for Us!
Ellen added:
St Thomas More, Pray for Us!
St Philip Howard, Pray for Us!
St Edmund Campion, Pray for Us!
Ven Elizabeth Lesseur, Pray for Us!
Ven Pierre Toussaint, Pray for Us!
Gardenia shares a way of honoring the Saints, making stained glass candles at My Little Flower.
Charlotte made a St Bakhita costume for her daughter at Waltzing Matilda.
The Anchoress shares some beautiful pictures of Saint statues from St Peter’s Basilica – Rome, and the difficult reality of the Christian Life – Syrian Catholics killed yesterday in Baghdad during Mass.
Colleen Hammond reminds us of how our prayers during the month of November can obtain indulgences for the faithful departed souls (November 2nd is the Feast of All Souls).
If you’re interested in knowing where to add your favorite Saint in the Litany of Saints, Adoremus has a post on that.
From left to right:
Blessed Chiara ‘Luce’ Badano
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