Dear Parishioners,
There is great confusion and controversy in the media, on Facebook, and in our parish regarding Halloween being a satanic celebration that Catholics should reject. Well-meaning priests and a few exorcists support suppression of this Catholic tradition by focusing on Satan, evil acts and those who attempt to turn others away from praying to the Saints in heaven on All Saints Day, and on All Souls Day praying to help souls suffering in Purgatory. It pleases Satan, when confusion stops us from celebrating our traditions of remembering the dead.
Halloween has Catholic origins. In 835 Pope Gregory IV moved the commemoration of martyrs (later All Saints Day) from May 13 to November 1. The night before was known as All Hollows Eve or “Holy Evening,” and was shortened in older English to “Halloween”. November 2 is All Souls Day. Hundreds of years ago in Ireland, farmers prepared for All Saints Day and All Souls Day by going door-to-door collecting food for a village feast and bonfire promising prayers for the dead, or bad luck if you did not contribute: “trick or treat”. Irish Catholics who came to the US in the 1800s brought this mixed tradition of harvest festival and All Saints Day. This Irish tradition mixed with the French Catholic tradition of wearing costumes that make fun of death and ghosts [faithful deceased who are near us during these Holy Days]. No one calls the making fun of death with candy skulls and funny skeletons in the Mexican Day of the Dead a pagan or satanic celebration. However, this tradition is related to the tradition of indigenous peoples of Mexico to welcome deceased loved ones to come near to receive the love of their descendants. The mixture of traditions we know as Halloween was a part of United States culture by the early 1800s. Today, Halloween remains unknown in Europe, even in countries from which these customs originated.
But Father, what about witches and the activity of Satanists? The greeting card industry added them in the late 1800s. Halloween was “ghostly” because we remember the dead. For Americans death is feared, so why not make it scary by putting witches on greeting cards? Halloween cards failed. Demons are real, Santa Muerte or Holy Death is a cult among drug dealers and anti-Catholics, Satanists wish to desecrate consecrated hosts and humans have been sacrificed for thousands of years. Yes, there are satanic practices by those enslaved by sin. This is to be rejected and combated in prayer, especially the Mass and praying of the rosary.
Halloween is the vigil before All Saints Day, the memorial of the faithful in heaven. We pray for the poor souls in purgatory on All Souls Day. These holy days build our hope of joining them in eternal life. We should not abandon our Catholic tradition, because Satan and evil people try to convert the holy memorial of the faithful departed into fear of death and demons.
I respectfully submit that the Spanish and Italian speaking priests do not understand old English, so they do not understand that Halloween means Holy Evening or Hallowed Evening. In English this was shortened to Halloween. An exorcist in Rome suggests changing Halloween to “Holy-ween”, however in Old English Halloween already means Holy Evening. We should let the kids have fun dressing up and enjoying parties. We should reject the satanic by not dressing as evil characters, while embracing the Catholic by dressing as saints, princesses, cowboys, etc.
Your servant in Christ, Father Paul