All Saints’ Day, one of the great feasts of the Episcopal Church Year, will be celebrated at Trinity on Sunday, November 2 this year. It is a joyful time to give thanks for all the saints, known and unknown, who have followed Christ through the ages. On this day, we remember that the Church is larger than what we see each Sunday—it includes every believer who has sought to live in God’s love.
The tradition began around the tenth century to honor “that vast body of the faithful…unknown in the wider fellowship of the Church” (Holy Women, Holy Men). Over time, it also became a day to remember and pray for those who have died, especially our loved ones who have gone before us in faith.
At Trinity, we will honor members of the congregation who have died in the past year with special prayers on their behalf. These prayers are deeply fitting, as the Catechism reminds us, “because we still hold [our departed] in our love, and because we trust that in God’s presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is” (BCP, 862). The names of loved ones who have gone before us in previous years will also be remembered during the sermon. These observances invite each of us to give thanks for the gift of life and the promise of resurrection.
The celebration will be filled with hope and song—favorites like For All the Saints and I Sing a Song of the Saints of God—as we rejoice in the communion we share with all God’s people, past and present.
As we gather in prayer and song, we remember that love transcends time and space, binding us with all who have walked in faith before us. With joyful hearts, we give thanks for the great communion of saints that continues to shape and inspire us today.