From the Rector’s Desk…
The Feast of All Saints, which falls on Nov. 1 in our calendar, has been observed in Eastern Christianity since the fourth century. It was established in the West when the Pantheon in Rome was consecrated in A.D. 609 and dedicated to the Blessèd Virgin Mary and all the martyrs.
There was a saying that made the round in the early church: “The Blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church” The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, shows us how acutely aware the early Church was, under persecution, of the presence and prayers of those who had given their lives in witness to the gospel. (Revelation 6. 9-11) Over time, the Feast of All Saints became the occasion for commemorating and celebrating the witness of so many holy men and women whose manner of life truly conformed to the life of the Gospel, and in whom the power of Jesus’ Resurrection was extraordinarily manifest.
Why remember the saints? In a word, this belongs to the fullness of the catholic faith.