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We Celebrate All Souls Day

As Catholics, we say we celebrate All Souls Day. How can we celebrate in commemoration of death, that gloomy and sorrowful grim reaper? How can we be joyful when in our mourning we miss the daily presence of our loved ones who have gone before us?

We celebrate because, as Christians, we are an Easter people! With Job, we say: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and because He lives, I too shall live.” [Job 19:25-26] And with John, the Beloved Disciple, we remember that “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” [John 16:20]

First and foremost, we celebrate this day through the holy sacrifice of the Mass. All Souls Day reminds us of our journey into heaven and that the sacrifice on the Altar is the sacrifice of Calvary which opened the gates of Heaven for us. How can we fail to be joyful at the thought of living eternally in the presence of God?

Unlike our separated brethren, we believe in a supernatural solidarity with the deceased through the Communion of Saints, and of their need for further purification after death. It is an ancient Catholic customs to pray for and give alms in the name of our beloved dead especially at this time of year.

There are a myriad of lovely traditional Catholic customs and devotions from throughout the world which are carried out in our celebration of All Souls.

In our mission territories in Mexico, All Souls is part of the celebration known as Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and there are many colorful traditions here in celebration of the joyful affirmation of the very heart of our religion - life everlasting. Music, food, and flowers add to the celebrations here. A line from an alabanza, or song, for this day reminds us to be joyful because “This is the day we remember that because of the goodness of God, our dead continue to live. They live in God, and they live in our hearts.”

Specific customs for this day are found in the heritage of all Catholic countries, not just those of our mission lands. In Ireland, a novena of evening Masses for the dead is the custom. Many people write a list of deceased family members and place it in an envelope with an alms and hand it in at the sacristy. The lists are placed on the altar for the novena, and the people listed are included in all Masses for the entire month. On Sunday afternoons, the priest goes to the graveyard to say the rosary and prayers and to bless the graves. In Korea, families picnic at the gravesite of their ancestors on this fall memorial day. A special bowl of rice is set out there in honor of the deceased. In a special community Mass for this day, candles, incense and photographs of family dead are set out in front of the altar. Fruit is piled around these for a festive air. The specific type of incense used is known as “joss,” from the Portuguese word for God, or “senko” in Japanese. The incense is lit as a prayer for the dead. This type of incense is sometimes available in the Chinese food section of the grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada. Special breads for the celebration are made in many parts of the world. Called Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead) in Mexico, the bread is known as Ossi Dei Morti (bones of the dead) in Italy and Seelenbrot (soul bread) in Germany. In central Europe, Dirge cakes or donuts are traditionally made and eaten in honor of the souls of the faithful departed. One town in Italy still celebrates a special festival begun in the Middle Ages. Known as the Fair of the Dead, vendors come from all over to sell everything from winter underwear to little sugar confections made in the shape of a skull and similar to the sugar calaveras distributed on this day in Mexico.

Alms for the poor have always been a traditional Catholic celebration on All Souls and during the month of November. In most countries of Europe even today special breads are baked in honor of the poor souls and given to the children and to the poor. In Western Europe people prepare a meal of cooked beans, peas or lentils called “soul food” which is served to the poor, together with meat and other dishes. In the Alpine provinces, the poor go from house to house reciting a prayer or singing a hymn for the holy souls and receiving small loaves of “soul bread” in reward. Here, a portion of everything that is cooked on All Souls Day is distributed as alms. In Hungary, orphan children are invited into the homes and fed and given new clothes and toys.

In Poland and parishes in America where there are people of Polish descent, the tradition of Wypominki or “Naming” is kept. The people write the names of their beloved dead on paper with black borders and take them to the priest, usually enclosing an alms for the poor. During November devotions in the evenings and on Sundays, the names are read from the pulpit and prayers are offered for the repose of the souls. We have adapted this custom for our devotions here at Sugar Land this November.

In celebration of the rainbow of ethnic heritages of our readers, we are including a recipe for the Ossi Dei Morti cookie from Italy and a special hearty and easy “soul food” bean dish with a Hispanic flavor.

We hope your own celebration of All Souls Day will be full of joy and love.


Ossi die Morti
(Dead Bone Cookies)

2/3 c. sugar
8 tbsp. margarine or butter
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. almonds, chopped fine
powdered sugar

Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together. Add the flour gradually, beating until smooth. Add the vanilla and nuts, blending well. Form teaspoons of dough into a bone or crescent shape, placing the cookies an inch apart on greased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Yields about 4 dozen.


Frijoles Muerto 
(Dead Beans)

1 can black beans
1 cup ham scraps or smoked sausage pieces
3 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
1/2 cup beer
3 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp. chopped green pepper
black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except the cumin in a pan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to simmer. Add the cumin and serve. No salt is added to this recipe because canned beans are generally salty; if you add salt, add it last because salt added to beans while cooking tends to make them tough. You may substitute pinto or red beans for the black beans if you prefer.

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