Yesterday was the Catholic Church’s All Saint’s Day celebrating the over ten thousand saints acknowledged by the Vatican since the festival came into being in the Fourth Century post Jesus’ birth. This liturgical holiday commemorates thousands of known only to the Bearded All-Knowing Deity. Later in that millenia according to Wikipedia on 13 May 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary the feast of dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. The date wAs chosen to supplant the Roman pagan festival of Lemuria, in which malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were honored by the living.
Pope Gregory III switched the day to November 1 supposedly coinciding with the Celtic Day of the Dead to appeal to pagans, creating a day of prayer for the faithful. The Church was very adept at adopting pagan ways to attract converts. As a devout Atheist I no long the saints as a connection to to the Supreme Being. We are all just people. For better or worse, although I am drawn to Brigid of Kildare who was converted from paganism after her death. One her feast day February 1 I used to up to St. Patricks Cathedral to light a candle. The church officials in the 90s covered her statue to prevent pagans from worshipping her. They never stopped me. I carried my own candles to acclaim her holy. After all she had discovered how to make beer and if that’s not a miracle then what is.
Restem en Pacem.
The living as well as the dead.
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