Why Do We Celebrate All Saints Day? (The Inner Life with Patrick Conley)

In this Inner Life episode, Patrick Conley sits down with Fr. Chris Walsh to chat about why All Saints Day is a cosmic, holy celebration with our “family.” Get the whole episode here!

Patrick starts off with The NeverEnding Story reference (who remembers that one? 🐉), where the reader finds himself in the story. He uses it to hit on something remarkable: as we read the Bible or learn about saints, we realize that we’re part of that story too. Saints aren’t just lofty icons on stained glass: they’re people who walked our path and, honestly, they’re rooting for us to join them.

👻 Halloween’s Catholic Backstory? Father Chris throws in a fun fact: Halloween actually began as a way to “scare off” the demons before All Saints Day. It’s our holiday! And while Halloween has been, well, “co-opted” by the secular world, it’s a great reminder of our roots. We’re not just celebrating saints with halos and feast days; we’re honoring the everyday heroes too: your grandma, your neighbor who always prayed for you, the coach who showed up at all your games.

What’s All Saints Day Really About? This isn’t just a feast day for the canonized saints. It’s a day to remember all those unsung holy folks who lived for Christ without fanfare. Fr. Chris reminds us: we’re supposed to be in heaven too. When you think about it, All Saints Day is kind of a preview of the eternal destination we’re aiming for.

👼 So, Here’s to Us, Future Saints: That’s the beauty of All Saints Day! It’s for those “known only to God”: all those souls who showed us faith through small, everyday acts.

So, celebrate this All Saints Day! Pray to all those known and unknown saints. Remember, we’re all in this story together: cheering each other on until we’re all saints ourselves someday.

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Jake Moore serves as a Digital Audio Content Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is passionate about classic movies, Christian music, young adult ministry, and leading this generation to Christ through compelling media. You can listen to more of his podcasts at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.