November 1, 2023
Today we celebrate All Saints Day in order to honor all those who have been canonized by the Church and are recognized as saints … in addition to all those who have achieved salvation and are not known. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says that saints are “persons in Heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.”
In Latino churches throughout America, families celebrate the Day of the Dead with customs from their native countries. Although the observance is on November 1 and 2, many parishes have special observances throughout the month, and ofrendas (or altars honoring their deceased loved ones) are built in their homes and churches.
In some parishes, there is a Mass with luminaries (votive candles), and everyone writes the names of the people who died on them. As in the Catholic tradition of praying for all souls, they are remembered at all the Masses, and their names stay on the altar all month.
The devotion is very special because they seek the intercession of deceased family members so that someday they can be in the same place as them … close to God.
The Day of the Dead, which is more joyful than somber, is observed differently throughout Latin America and the United States. In Peru, Mass is celebrated on All Saints Day and on All Souls Day, and families visit cemeteries, where they picnic and play music. In Ecuador, people make a thick beverage with fruits and berries and bake bread in the shape of human figures. Guatemalans prepare a special salad called “fiambre” and bring flowers to the graves. Hondurans are known to clean the tombstones and decorate them with flowers. In Mexico, sweet breads and tamales, along with a thick tomato soup, are prepared so families can enjoy a feast in honor of their dead.
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