Preparing for All Saints and All Souls
What These Days Really Mean — and Why They Still Matter
As October fades, the Church leads us into November with her eyes fixed on eternity. Two back-to-back days mark the start of the month — All Saints’ Day (Nov 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov 2) — reminding us of the great truth most of the world forgets: this life is not the end.
These days were never meant to be sentimental. They’re meant to wake us up — to live ready, fight well, and die in grace.
Origin
From the earliest centuries, Christians kept the memory of those who gave everything for Christ.
At first, they honored the martyrs — men and women who refused to deny their faith even at the cost of their lives. Over time, the Church expanded this remembrance to include all who lived and died in friendship with God.
By the ninth century, All Saints’ Day became the universal feast honoring every soul already in heaven — the famous and the forgotten alike.
The very next day, All Souls’ Day, was set aside to pray for those still being purified — the souls on their way home.
Together, these two days form a rhythm of hope: heaven and mercy — victory and intercession — a reminder that death does not end the mission. It reveals it.
Why It Still Matters
All Saints’ Day shows us the goal: holiness. It celebrates the ones who fought the same battles we face — temptation, fatigue, doubt — and won. They prove that grace can do in us what it did in them.
All Souls’ Day calls us to love beyond the grave. The Church teaches that our prayers, Masses, and sacrifices can lift souls from purgatory into the light of heaven. That’s the communion of saints in action — heaven helping earth, and earth helping heaven.
In a world that avoids the thought of eternity, these two days bring us back to reality. They strip away the illusion that we’re just meant to get comfortable here. We’re meant to get ready.
How to Strengthen Your Soul This Month
November is a built-in training ground for the soul. Here are a few ways to enter it intentionally:
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Go to Mass. Honor the saints in heaven and intercede for souls still being purified.
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Pray the Rosary. Offer it for someone who has no one praying for them.
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Visit a cemetery. Pray there for the forgotten; it’s one of the Church’s indulgenced acts this week.
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Keep a record. Keep track of the souls you pray for, and the saints you turn to. Faith grows when it’s lived on purpose.
If you want a simple way to make that last part a daily habit, the Grace Force® Strength & Alliance Field Journal was designed exactly for this. This Journal is a tool for spiritual readiness. Inside you’ll find:
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A Search and Rescue Journal for praying souls out of purgatory.
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A Church Militant Boot Camp for building daily prayer discipline.
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Guided pages to form your own Holy Alliance — tracking intentions, devotions, and victories.
Authored by Father Richard Heilman, creator of the Combat Rosary™ and the United States Grace Force.
It’s a practical way to live what these holy days teach: pray with focus, fight with purpose, and build strength that endures.
As we step into November, keep this in mind:
The saints show us what victory looks like.
The souls in purgatory remind us the fight continues.
And we, still here on earth, are part of the same Church — one body across heaven, earth, and purgatory.
So keep praying. Keep training. Keep your eyes on eternity.