Faith Formation Article
We can celebrate the saints in our lives

By Sr. Janet Schaeffler, O.P.
Published October 20, 2006

This month we celebrate two of the Church's most significant feasts: All Saints and All Souls. They are feasts that are celebrated well, not just at the parish, but in the domestic church – the home. Families can incorporate one or more of these activities, prayer or rituals at home for these feasts.

Family saints: Families need family saints to realize that closeness to God lies within their grasp and is part of their vocation. The family's business is to find and to keep God in the home. One way of doing that is to find saints who can be models for the family and then to become like them – fully human, people of loving concern, and faithful followers of the Gospel.

A family patron: The whole family examines the lives of the saints to find someone similar in lifestyle, someone who has faced the same pressures and problems your family confronts. Some possible patron saints might be Mary and Joseph, Peter the Apostle (and his wife and brother), Thomas More and his family, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Elizabeth of Hungary, and Anne and Joachim (the parents of Mary).

Saints in the car: (This practice is also good at mealtimes, picnics, morning or nighttime prayers.) Pray for a safe trip by mentioning all the saints whom your family is named after. (You might use baptismal names and confirmation names.) Each one says his or name, and all ask that saint to "pray for us."

The "unofficial" ones: You could think about deceased relatives, friends and neighbors. Are there any among them who are saints? What qualities did they have that you might want to imitate?

Saints alive: Consider people now living who seem to be saintly, whose lives are given for others. These could include nominees who we all know, which we hear about through the local, national and international news, as well as the anonymous people such as the neighbor next door.

Family dress-up dinner: Plan a special family dinner to celebrate the saints officially recognized by the Church and the saints you have known as a family – friends, relatives or famous contemporary people. Family members can choose a person and dress in the clothes this saint might have worn, talk about things he or she was interested in, act toward other family members as he or she would have acted.

All Souls: The feast of All Souls is a special family day in the Church. Make a scroll to leave on your dinner table all month. List the names of people in the communion of saints whom you wish to remember and for whom you wish to pray. Include the names of people who have died among your family, relatives, ancestors, neighbors, parish and classes as well as people from the news or from history.

Family tree: Together as a family create an All Saints Family Tree. Recall facts about the people on your family tree as you write in their names. Share stories and talk about any characteristics that living members may have inherited from family foremothers and forefathers.

A table prayer for Halloween: "We thank you, loving God, for games and laughter, for humor and fun. Help us to use these gifts with kindness and respect. Bless our Halloween celebration, keep us safe and free from harm, and remind us to treat everyone and all property with respect. We thank you, too, for one another and for the gifts that nourish body and spirit. We offer our prayer with Jesus, our brother, and in union with the Spirit. Amen."

All Saints family prayer: "All you holy saints, during your time on Earth you experienced the humanness of everyday living. You knew anger, frustration, loneliness and fear. You felt the pressure that a test in school can create or the rejection or grief of losing a friend. You knew troubles but never lost faith in God and in God's love. We celebrate and praise you on this special feast day that is yours – and ours. All you saints, pray for us."

Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP, is the archdiocesan associate director for adult faith formation for the Office for Faith Formation/Catechetics.