Introduction

Today’s feast honors the countless men and women, known and unknown, who have reached the glory of heaven. This feast reminds us of our shared call to holiness and the communion of saints who intercede for us in our earthly journey.

The Feast of All Saints began in the early centuries as the “Feast of All Holy Martyrs,” a remembrance of martyrs whose names were not known and who therefore did not have individual days of remembrance. It was introduced in the year 610 by Pope Boniface IV, when the Roman Emperor, Phocas, made a gift of the ancient pagan temple of the Pantheon to the Church. Initially celebrated on May 13, it was transferred to November 1 for the universal Church by Pope Gregory IV in 835, and by then it included all the saints.

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