Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day Activities and Articles from CatholicMom.com

Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day

Helpful Books about Saints for Children
Saint Resources
Coloring Pictures of Saints
Halloween/All Saints/All Souls Recipes
Halloween/All Saints/All Souls Projects
All Saints Day Word Search
All Saints Day Word Search (Solution)
All Saints Day Crossword Puzzle

Halloween/All Saints Fun:

Catholic Encyclopedia:

All Saints Day
All Souls Day

Helpful Links:

Resources for Religious Educators listing of Saint web sites, art and resources
Web site reviews of sites relevant to Saints
Catholic Online's Saints and Angels Index
Classroom Activities on Saints
Halloween and All Saints Day - Catholic Exchange article examines the origins
How Halloween Can Be Redeemed - Catholic Update from October, 1999

All Hallows Eve Seasonal Feature at American Catholic.org - send a free Saint e-greeting, learn about Halloween's Christian roots, and other interesting information, including the tale of the Jack-o-lantern and links to Catholic Updates on the topics relevant to the season.

Sacraments and Pumpkins -a Faith Topics column by James Hahn looks at reclaiming the true spirit of this season

From the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Halloween Rooted in Religious Celebration

October 31 is Halloween. According to Sister Maureen Shaughnessy, Assistant Secretary for Catechesis and Leadership Formation for the U.S. Bishops' Department of Education, "Halloween gives us the opportunity to help people of all ages reconnect with the Christian understanding of this very popular holiday. Originally this day was celebrated by the Celts in England and Ireland as the end of their year. On that day they remembered all those who had died during the past year."

A number of customs that evolved related to this had to do with ghosts and scary things. As Christians we celebrate this day as the eve of All Saints, and in fact, many parishes and Catholic schools use this opportunity to have young people connect to the lives of saints - their own name saints or patronal saints connected to their parishes or ethnic backgrounds. It provides a time for storytelling, dressing up and celebrating.

Would you like to share a story, family tradition, craft or activity? Email lisa@catholicmom.com today!

Relevant Articles for
Catholic Parents

Ideas for Sanctifying Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day - Article by Jennifer Gregory Miller and Margaret Gregory. Suggestions and ideas to create a Catholic atmosphere in the home (Domestic Church) for Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Includes the Litany of the Saints and De Profundis (Out of the Depths), Psalm 13

All Hallows Eve - an article by Mary Reed Newland, excerpted from the book This Year and Our Children describing the history and an alternative way to spend the liturgical vigil to All Saints Day

Feast of All Saints - an article by Mary Reed Newland, excerpted from the book This Year and Our Children describing All Saints Day in her family, and explains why as Catholics we should venerate the saints.

Halloween, All Saints and All Souls - an article by Florence Berger describing how to have a holier and Catholic Halloween and All Saints and Souls Days in the home

Our Sunday Visitor's Cardlinks Patron Saints - Perfect for engaging elementary age children and up in their Catholic Faith. It combines the popularity of collectible cards with the durability of a bound book. The tall, eye-catching format makes it stand out on a shelf. Kids love this product because it's interactive, bright and well written. Our family keeps this one in the car and has learned many new fun and interesting facts about the lives of the saints.

Holy Friends: Thirty Saints and Blesseds of the Americas - When we think of saints, we often think of tried-and-true European favorites. But don't forget the New World! Thirty saints and blessed from eleven different countries of North, South, and Central America come alive in this gloriously illustrated volume. From the time of the first missionaries right through the twentieth century, these fascinating stories will keep kids enthralled-AND keep them reading!

Loyola Kids Book of Saints (Loyola Kids) - Who are the saints, why are they important, and what can today's children learn from them? In Loyola Kids Book of Saints, the first book in the Loyola Kids series, author Amy Welborn answers these questions with exciting and inspiring stories, real-life applications, and important information about these heroes of the church. This delightful collection of saints' lives, written in a storybook style for children eight to twelve, explains how saints becomes saints, why we honor them, and how they help us even today.

Helpful Links:

From the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Halloween Rooted in Religious Celebration

Relevant Articles for Catholic Parents

Relevant Articles for
Catholic Parents