Little saints

There are many different traditions and celebrations that people take part in on Halloween. It might be a surprise to many that the day actually comes from a celebration in the Catholic Church, called All Hallows’ Eve on Oct. 31.
 
All Hallows’ Eve is the celebration of the Vigil (the evening before) the solemnity of All Saints Day on Nov. 1. A saint is one who is holy, and another word for holy is “hallowed.”
 
To honor the feast, the Church of St. Anne in Bismarck hosted their first All Hallows’ Eve Party. Families from both inside and outside the parish were welcome to attend the celebration, which included saint costumes, a potluck dinner, games and prizes.
 
The organizer of the event, Jessica Martel, explained that their family had celebrated the feast with friends and groups before, but they wanted to take it to the parish level in order to give other children the opportunity to participate. Martel said that they wanted to have this kind of event because it is “something that returns to the roots of our faith and celebrates a great solemnity.”
 
The evening began with the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints. During the homily, Fr. Sattler encouraged all to pursue holiness; to accept the call to sainthood which is meant for all of us. After the Mass, children gathered for a group picture and processed to the church hall, where the festivities began.
 
Becca Swenson, a parent of a family that attended the event, said that celebrating the Eve of All Saints has been a tradition for their family for years. “We've been celebrating All Hallows’ Eve for five years now by attending saints parties. It’s a great tie into the feast of All Saints when the Vigil Mass is part of our evening.”
 
Throughout the evening, the “little saints” were busy participating in games, including a saint walk, crown the queen of saints, name that saint, and David’s sling shot. A total of 33 families with over 75 children under the age of 12 attended. A few of the saints featured in the children’s costumes included St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick, St. Rita, St. Juan Diego, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
Families choose to celebrate in this way because of the spiritual fruits it could give their children. Jennifer Eberle, parent of several “little saints,” shared, “We knew it would be...an opportunity for our family to grow in our faith. It was nice to spend the evening with everything centered around the saints who we should strive to model our own lives after.”
 
In the end, the celebration was meant to inspire children and families to honor the saints who have gone before them, but also to inspire them to live holy lives, like the saints.
 
Father Sattler summed it up well, “It was a joy to be surrounded by all our little saints on All Hallows’ Eve! How refreshing to celebrate that evening in a way that renews the reality of our call to all be saints.”