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 and created the feast of dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres, which has been celebrated at Rome ever since. The date was chosen to supplant the Roman pagan festival of Lemuria, during which malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were honored by the living.
Pope Gregory III switched this day of prayer to November 1, thus coincidingwith the Celtic Day of the Dead, hoping for pagans to switch to the One True Faith. The Church was very adept at adopting pagan ways to attract converts. As a devout Atheist I never view the Catholic saints as a connection to a non-existent Supreme Being. We are all just people. For better or worse, although I am drawn to Brigid of Kildare who suffered conversion from paganism after her death. On 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 Soul. After all she had discovered how to make beer and if that’s not a miracle then what is.
Restem en Pacem.
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