Who Is Your Agnes?

Does Halloween have anything to with Christianity? Not much anymore, I’m afraid. But it sure did in the past. Now for me the closest Halloween came to my Catholic faith was the year I dressed as a nun for the occasion. It was quite the costume made with love by my Nana. It was identical in every way to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters’ habits, who taught me throughout my twelve years of school. How could I not win the contest that year? Even more fun, my parents surprised me with their costumes. I knew they were going as the same kind of nun as me and a priest. Imagine my shock when my dad came down dressed as the nun and my mom the priest. What fun! So, you see in my house, faith and Halloween were intimately connected. Ok, enough joking around.

Halloween got is name, meaning “holy evening” because of the day it proceeds. All Saints Day is November 1st. It is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics in the United States. In it, we remember all the people who have lived and in some cases died for their faith. In times gone by, Christians would dress up like their favorite saint on the night before the Holy Day. Who would you choose? Maybe Saint Francis of Assisi? Maybe Saint Joan of Arc? Or maybe you would choose some modern day soon to be saints like Blessed John Paul or Mother Teresa? What one aspect of their personality would you want reflected in your costume?

I love the tradition that my children’s school has. On All Saints Day, the third grade dresses like saints. I love to hear why they chose each one. My daughter chose Saint Agnes when she was in third grade. This surprised me because I didn’t know much about her. She also chose Agnes as her Confirmation name the year before. Through her research for this event, she learned something about Agnes that tickled her fancy. But it also provided her with someone to have on her side throughout her life. She chose Saint Agnes because she is the patroness of Rome and died a martyr’s death at a young age. My daughter had just returned from Rome and felt a connection to Agnes. I still smile when I call her by her full name and include Agnes. Of course it is usually when she is in trouble so don’t tell her that I’m smiling inside. My son has his chance next year. I let you know who he chooses.

I like the way the Church’s liturgical calendar enhances the secular one in November. We begin the month of Thanksgiving remembering those who have given us an example of faith that we should be thankful for. On November 2nd, the Church celebrates All Souls Day, in which we remember those saints who may not get the recognition of formally being declared a saint but have won the race nonetheless. This provides us with the opportunity to begin this month of thanksgiving by pausing to remember the people in our lives who have touched us and strengthened our faith. Who would you most like to imitate the faith of in your own life? A grandmother? A friend? Who will you pause to remember on this All Souls Day..today!

I think AGOG should start the month the same way the Church does. We should pick a saint and act like them. Even for just a day. We should choose one soul from our own lives and dedicate the month to paying forward what they gave us. Who do you choose? I’d love to know. Hop over to Facebook and tell us your two. Or simply comment below. I will post mine as well. Let’s see how many we can honor this month.

The month of November will be the month of Gratitude on AGOG. Each week we will focus on something we are thankful for. I encourage you to interact with each other as we count our blessings. This week we are thankful for people of faith in our lives. Tell me about yours.