Next Saturday, 31^st October, millions will be celebrating Halloween, which for most will mean fancy dress, pumpkins, sweets and parties. For others it has become associated with ghosts, witches, the occult and a fascination with the dark side of the supernatural world. But I wonder how many people, how many Catholics, realise that Halloween has its roots in the Catholic Faith, and that Halloween is an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve which is All Saints.

For centuries, the Church has set aside 1^st November to honour all the saints in Heaven. Not only canonised saints, but all those men and women in Heaven who have fought the good fight, kept the Faith and now enjoy the eternal reward of Heaven promised by Our Lord. In days past, the evening before this great Feast was a time of preparation for All Saints. And Halloween means “the evening before All Saints.”

As Catholics we believe that Heaven is real, and that the saints there are alive in Christ. We hope to join them there one day in eternal happiness. The saints are not remote, pious figures who have nothing in common with us. On the contrary, they were men and women who struggled against sin, overcame temptation, suffered for the Faith and persevered in difficulties, and they are of all ages and from all walks of life. So they remind us that holiness is not an impossibility, but the very purpose for which God created us.

Even the scary costumes of skeletons and ghosts remind us that death is not the end. The body dies, but the soul is immortal. The person, in other words, does not cease to exist. Every human being has an immortal soul, and Our Lord promises resurrection to eternal life and happiness to those who remain united with Him.

However, it is anti-Christian to be dabbling in the occult, Ouija boards, consulting mediums, attending séances, trying to communicate with the dead, or joking around with things like witchcraft and demonic powers. All these practices are condemned by Scripture. They can open the door to evil, and if engaged in, they need to be confessed and absolved.

So how should Catholic families celebrate Halloween? Well, there’s nothing wrong with dressing up, but why not dress up as saints or angels instead? And parents, take time to tell your children stories from the lives of the saints. If you don’t know them, there are plenty of good books out there to help. Children love these stories and it can be a wonderful family event at which you can tell them what Halloween is really about. Don’t miss the opportunity! I particularly recommend “All Hallows’ Eve” a fairly new book by Anthony DeStefano. It’s for younger children and beautifully illustrated with a very good Catholic story. Adults would also enjoy it.

So on 1^st November we celebrate the saints in Heaven, and on 2^nd November we remember the faithful departed in Purgatory. These feasts remind us of the Communion of Saints: that is the Church Triumphant in Heaven, the Church Suffering which are the souls being purified in Purgatory, and the Church Militant, which all of us still making our pilgrimage here on earth.

So this year, let us really try and recover what the world has long forgotten. We do not belong to the kingdom of darkness. We belong to the kingdom of light, which is JESUS Christ, the true Light of the World. And let us teach our children that the greatest adventure is not to dabble with evil, but to become a saint.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC