Church leaders have cautioned Filipino Catholics against confusing All Saints Day with the North American All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, when children and even adults dress up as ghosts and goblins for scare and fun.

Church leaders explained that All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2 are days of prayer and reflection; they are memorial days for relatives and friends who have passed away.

Church leaders have reminded Catholics that those who have passed away in the state of grace are not “ghosts, goblins, zombies, or monsters,” but members of the “Communion of Saints.”

All Saints Day and All Souls Day, Church leaders said, are also days of celebration because they honor Christian redemption and the promise of eternal life. All those who have passed away in the state of grace are considered “saints,” Church leaders said.

Some Church leaders also warned Catholics that Halloween celebrations have an element of occultism in them.

March of Saints

Instead, Church leaders are urging Catholics to follow the example of the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, which is set to hold again tomorrow, Oct. 31, the “March of Saints.” In the religious procession, children come dressed as their favorite saints.

Fr. Ramon T. Salibay, OP, parish priest, said that Santo Domingo parish started the procession last year to create awareness that All Saints’ Day, or “Undas,” is not a day for ghosts and witches, but a day that commemorates saints and martyrs. The March of Saints is a “Christ-centered alternative to the secular, even pagan, celebration of All Hallows Eve.

Last year the favorite saints were Blessed Margaret of Castello, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Peter Verona, St. Rose of Lima and St. Joan of Arc.

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