Dear friends,
On Thursday evening of this week, we officially marked Halloween, originally known as All Hallows Eve. This is the night where, traditionally within the Church, vigils were kept prior to the following All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. “All Hallows” is the basis for “Halloween.”
According to Germanic traditions from the fifteenth century, people would visit houses throughout their communities, bringing “soul cakes” and other treats as a sign of their preparation for the day when the Church celebrates all the saints in heaven. Thus, on the next day the Church gives thanks for those Christians who have gone before us, who led lives of particular holiness, in making known the Kingdom of God. The vigils kept the night before, as is common with all vigils kept before a major feast, were a sign of excitement, celebration, and prayer to enable Christians to contemplate the significance of the feast prior to its central celebration. Today, although Halloween looks a little different, give or take a few details the sentiment is essentially the same … well, almost.
Following All Saints Day then comes All Souls Day or The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. On this third feast, we celebrate those who are special to us more personally, who have gone before us in the way of faith. Thus, we move liturgically, spiritually, and theologically from vigil to celebratory feast, then to more solemn remembrance, and especially for those closest to us.
In The Church of England, this time of year is often also referred to as “Remembrance Tide.” This is because as we move through this passage of the year, we find ourselves spending a significant portion of time remembering the saints, those who we love, and indeed those aspects of our lives which require healing. Following All Souls Day, we soon reach Veterans Day (in the U.S.) or Remembrance Day (in the U.K. and Canada), where we remember those who have given their lives in service to their country. Furthermore, we find ourselves moving into a time where the seasons are truly changing once more, as autumn leaves finish falling, the dark and the cold begin in earnest, yet we then prepare for Thanksgiving, and then a new liturgical year with Advent. Change, remembrance, and hope are all significant themes which permeate this final part of the calendar year.
Over the next two Sundays, we will be marking these moments: with All Saints Sunday on November 3, and our All Souls Sunday on November 10. We will be celebrating the baptism of one of our youngest parishioners on November 3, and on November 10 we will be reading the names of those who have passed on from this life during the last year. As we frame the next few weeks around both the celebration of new life and of the lives of those who have now gone before us, I hope you will join us in the Parish Church for this special time of worship and contemplation. And if there is a loved one whom wish to remember on November 10, please be sure to send in their names on the form from the bulletin to the Parish Office.
I look forward to worshiping and praying with you as we journey through this time together: remembering, giving thanks, and then contemplatively looking to the future with hope.
The Rev. Edward Thornley
Rector