News Archive

All Saint's Day: A Day of Remembrance

On Monday, Nov. 1, Marymount celebrated All Saints’ Day with a Mass devoted to the lives of those who have passed. Led by Fr. Prosper Hedagbui from St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Marymount students incorporated the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos into Catholic tradition.
All Saints’ Day, a holy day of obligation in the Catholic church, commemorates every individual in heaven, even those whose salvation is known only to God.
 
Students and faculty members shared stories of grandmothers, grandfathers, sons, and revered religious clergy.

In 609 AD, Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, celebrated on Nov. 2. These two Catholic celebrations are often confused: where All Saints’ Day is dedicated to those who are in heaven, All Souls' Day offers prayers for all those who have died but have not yet reached heaven.
 
The Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead is celebrated in the United States and Latin American from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 to coincide with American tradition and Catholic holy days. The tradition, inscribed in 2008 to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, asks for prayers for friends and family members who have died to help support their spiritual journey. 
Back