From Italy, May devotions soon spread to France. One of the most prominent promoters was Rev. Pierre Doré (1733-1816) from Longwy in Lothringen. Doré learned of this form of devotion in Italy. May devotions spread in connection with the strong restoration movement after the revolution. They were understood as “the ecclesial contrast to the frivolous spring celebrations of the revolutionaries.” Indeed, from 1830 on, May devotions were celebrated everywhere. …

In Belgium the May devotions -– at least as a private devotion –- were also known since already in 1803 and in 1819 corresponding devotional books were published. … Also in Luxembourg sometime around 1840 May devotions were known. In Luxembourg May received an additional imprint through the annual Mary octave in honor of Mary as “Consolation of the Afflicted. In Switzerland in 1808, this devotion was celebrated for the first time in the College at Brigg (Sitten) … and also publicly since 1849 at the Monastery in Einsiedeln. In the Canton of Glarus the Monastery Näfels was the transmitting center of the May devotion from 1852 on. Around 1860, the Sunday “May sermons” became customary and soon became a specific characteristic of this Mary month.

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise. Your justice, love and mercy abound. We thank you this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of your Divine Son….. we thank you Father….through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church……… we thank you Father…. it is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to your Son……… we thank you Father…..their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us….. we thank you Father…their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses ……we thank you Father……together we seek you.

For the gift of children…..we thank you Father….they are your precious gifts to us and to the world.

For the gift of our families, loved ones and good friends…….we thank you Father….Through them we see the reflection of your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have…..we thank you Father….give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

For the bounty we are about to eat…we thank you through Christ Our Lord. Amen

All Saints Day begins with a vigil, the observance of which originated with the Antiochian Church. The night time hours of All Saints are devoted to prayer and fasting. The Catholic ceremony for the day is a solemn one, including the observance of Holy Mass followed by prayers offered to the Virgin Mary and all the saints. Lutherans and Episcopalians remember the day by giving thanks to God for all saints, living and dead. The Orthodox Churches continue to honor all Christian martyrs on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

All Saints and All Souls (Zaduszki)

Both the Feast of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls evolved in the life of the Church independently of paganism and Halloween. The exact origins of this celebration are uncertain, although, after the legalization of Christianity in 313, a common commemoration of Saints, especially the martyrs, appeared in various areas throughout the Church. In the West, a commemoration for all the saints was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. The primary reason for establishing a common feast day was because of the desire to honor the great number of martyrs, especially during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), the worst and most extensive of the persecutions.

The designation of November 1st as the Feast of All Saints occurred over time. Bishop of Rome, Gregory III (731-741) dedicated an oratory in the original St. Peter’s Basilica in honor of all the saints on November 1st, and this date then became the official date for the celebration of the Feast of All Saints in Rome.

Along with the Feast of All Saints developed the Feast of All Souls. The Church has consistently encouraged the offering of prayers and Mass for the souls of the faithful departed on their journey to heaven. The faithful on earth can assist these souls on their journey to heaven in attaining the Beatific Vision through their prayers, good works and the offering of the Holy Mass. In Germany, Widukind, Abbot of Corvey (died 980) recorded a special ceremony for the faithful departed on October 1st. St. Odilo, the Abbot of Cluny (died 1048), decreed for all the Cluniac monasteries that special prayers be offered and the Office of the Daed sung for all the souls on November 2nd, the day after All Saints. The Benedictines and Carthusians adopted that same devotion, and soon November 2nd was adopted as the Feast of All Souls for the whole Church.

Cemeteries in Poland are really…full of life! They are visited by family members the daily/weekly basis. But nothing compares to how the cemeteries look on November 1st. In front of cemeteries street vendors sell flowers – in pots, cut flowers or beautiful lanterns etc. November 1st is a national holiday in Poland. Many people go to the cemeteries to light candles and, if they believe in God, to pray. This festival is also celebrated by some other denominations and even those without any denomination, as a sign of remembrance and of honoring and respecting the dead.

Some scenes from All Saints/All Souls Day in Poland:

Wieczne odpoczynek racz im dać Panie, a światłość wiekuista niechaj im świeci.
Niech odpoczywają w pokoju, Amen.

Daily

• Get up at a fixed time. Eight hours of sleep should be enough.
• Offer your day to God through the intercession of our Lady.
• Work with order and intensity during the day as a way of serving God. Sanctifying ordinary work is the goal of our life.
• Try to attend Mass, receiving Holy Communion, as often as possible. This is the best sacrifice we can offer to God.
• Pray the Angelus at noontime.
• Pray the Rosary – if possible, with your family – offering each decade for a specific intention.
• Do some spiritual reading. Start with the New Testament or some well-known spiritual book.
• Make a short examination of conscience at the end of the day before going to bed. Two or three minutes is enough.

Weekly

• Center all activities around the Holy Mass on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. It is also a family day – for rest and spiritual growth.
• If you do not receive Holy Communion every day, receive at least on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

Monthly

• Make a private Confession at least once a month. It is a sacrament of joy.
• Spend a few hours in recollection, best done before the Blessed Sacrament. Consider how you are directing your life toward God.

Yearly

• Spend two or three days each year in silence, speaking with God only. A few days of retreat are necessary for the soul in the same way that the body needs a vacation.

Always

• Stay in the presence of God; be aware that He is always close to you.
• Thank God for the graces that He constantly gives you.
• Do everything for love of God: this is purity of intention. Always purify your intention.
• Try to live as you would like to die. We shall die as we have lived.

Saint Christopher – born at Canaan as Offero – (martyred on 251)

St. Christopher’s fame derives from the pious legend of him a “Christ-bearer” (Christopher).

St. Christopher’s original name was Offero. He was a powerfully built man who wandered the world in search of novelty and adventure. He came upon a hermit who lived beside a dangerous stream and served others by guiding them to a safe place to cross. The hermit gave Offero instruction in the truth of God. Offero took the hermit’s place, but instead of guiding travelers, he carried them safely across the stream.

One day he carried a small child across the stream; the child’s weight nearly crushed him. When they arrived on the other side, the child revealed himself as Christ, and he was so heavy because he bore the weight of the world on himself. He then baptized Offero with water from the stream. Christopher’s service at the stream led to his patronage of things related to travel and travelers, people who carry things, etc.

Dear Saint, you have inherited a beautiful name – Christbearer – as a result of a wonderful legend that while carrying people across a raging stream you also carried the Child Jesus. Teach us to be true Christbearers to those who do not know him. Protect all drivers who often transports those who bear Christ within them. Amen.

O Jesus, Eternal Priest;
 keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your
 Sacred Heart, where none may harm them.
 Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Your Sacred Body. 
Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood.
 Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood.
 Let Your holy love surround them and shield them 
from the world’s contagion.
 Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they have ministered to be their joy and consolation and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. 
O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us;
 obtain for us many holy priests. Amen.

To inquire about vocations to the priesthood in the Holy Polish National Catholic Church please contact Fr. Robert or the Savonarola Theological Seminary c/o the Office of the Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church at 570-346-9131