We are approaching the Hallowtide season, and some of us may be asking what Hallowtide is about, while others wonder how we can reclaim this season of remembrance now known as Halloween for what it truly is, starting in our own families.
Two years ago, Gardens of Gethsemani hosted a webinar with three guest speakers who discussed the meaning of the Hallowtide season. They shared some fantastic ideas of how to take engage children in the mysteries and richness of our Catholic faith. I’d like to highlight some of the ideas they shared:
Make a big splash for All Saints’ Day
Over the years, the main emphasis has been placed on Halloween as the secular culture stripped Hallowtide of all Christian values and traditions. The truth is that Oct. 31, All Hallows’ Eve, isn’t the main celebration. The big day is the Feast of All Saints on Nov. 1, while Oct. 31 is the eve of All Saints’ Day, just as Dec. 24 is the eve of Christmas.
Jayme-Dawn McKinnon, an Abbotsford mother of five, says her family goes trick or treating Oct. 31, but she makes sure they go all out Nov. 1 with more desserts and candy to a party with friends where everyone dresses up as saints. They decorate the house with about 60 cups lit with battery-operated tea lights, each with an image of a different saint.
St. John Paul II Academy teacher Anthony Walters said his school’s students are encouraged to dress up as saints on Nov. 1 and process around the school singing When the Saints Go Marching in.
Father Mark McGuckin, who was pastor of St. Joseph’s in Port Moody and is now at St. Francis de Sales in Burnaby, reminisced on his years at the Seminary of Christ the King where on Nov. 1 the seminarians would arrive at dinner dressed up as saints. He said it was comical and delightful, especially seeing some of the monks dress up.
Visit a cemetery and pray for the faithful departed
The Hallowtide Triduum, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, is a time to connect and remember the entire Church: the Church militant here on earth, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church triumphant in heaven. We should facilitate opportunities for children to experience the interconnectedness of these three parts of our Church family.
McKinnon said it’s important that her children learn they are part of a big family that is the Church, that this life continues into eternal life, and that those in heaven are cheering us on, loving us, and helping us with their prayers and example to join them one day in our heavenly home.
Every November, McKinnon and her husband bring their five children to Gardens of Gethsemani in Surrey to pray for their loved ones who have passed away, clean their graves, and bring flowers.
She teaches them about plenary indulgences and how we can love and stay connected to our family and friends who have gone before us. They also talk about death in an open manner, explaining that death isn’t scary when we love Jesus and that it marks the passing from this life into eternal life with Jesus who loves them and awaits them with open arms.
Walters also brings his students to Gardens of Gethsemani to pray for the souls, clean the graves of deceased priests, talk about and remember those who have gone before us, and reflect on mortality and the gift of life.
Bring it back to the essence of our faith, which is love
Walters believes in helping his students move beyond the superficial to what gives meaning, and to love, which is the essence of Christianity. He invites his students to collect their trick or treat candy and donate some of it to The Door is Open or Agape Street Ministries, where it’s distributed to women on the street.
When they dress up for Halloween or All Saints’ Day, Walters also invites them to take a deeper look at who they are dressing up as, to ponder who this person was, and whether this person is someone they’d like to imitate.
Father McGuckin spoke about Halloween costumes and the need to ask whether they help us glorify God with our bodies. It is a time to speak to our children about modesty and prudence, he said, and about heroes in our lives and what kind of people we want to imitate.
Halloween can also be an opportunity to share our faith and joy with those who come knocking on our door asking for candy, said Father McGuckin. How we decorate our homes, how we dress up, and what we emphasize and talk about can be a way to engage people in the real meaning of the Hallowtide season.
This year Gardens of Gethsemani invites families and individuals to a candlelight vigil procession and a singing of the Litany of the Saints Oct. 31. Children are encouraged to dress up as saints and the event will end with candy and hot chocolate. Families are also invited to our Nov. 1 and 2 Masses to pray for the faithful departed and honour those who have gone before us.
For more information visit rccav.org/events.
Anna Loch is Outreach Manager at Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic cemeteries.