Why There are Two Days

I once knew a man whom I considered to be a very sincere Christian. Among his many "fruits of the Spirit" was a tremendous willingness to help people, especially if they needed help in repairing things. He had the ability to turn the old back into new. I also especially appreciated his great love for animals, sometimes even risking the displeasure of neighbors by making sure feral cats did not go hungry. However, if you remarked that he was a saint, he was very quick to exclaim, "I'm no saint!" Unfortunately he probably had bought into the common definition of sainthood which claims a saint is someone who feels that in some way you should feel guilty if you are doing something that is fun. OK, I exaggerate a bit, but modern day concepts of sainthood often miss the mark. Since the days of the early church all you had to do to become a saint was to become a Christian, a real Christian, not a church on Sunday, something else on Monday sort of Christian.

It is not surprising that before long various churches began to remember and honor the saints, especially those who had died as martyrs for the faith. In fact in the earliest years of the church All Saints Day, as it will eventually become known, was probably celebrated more regularly than Christmas Day. The practice appears to have started in Ireland then spread to England, and finally reached the European mainland. In England November 1 eventually came to be observed as All Hallows Day, and the night before as All Hallows Eve. The word "hallows" is derived from a Medieval word and simply means holy. Our word, Halloween in turn owes its origins to All Hallows Eve.

While every Christian is a saint, there are some saints who were more prominent than others. I wonder how many remember Leon Hart. In the 1950s he played end for the Detroit Lions, and during his college days he won the Heisman Trophy. Today if you are a lineman you can pretty much forget about winning the Heisman. You need the linemen, but the quarterbacks are most of the super stars. Well, we need "all the saints," but Apostles, martyrs, and folks like St. Francis of Assisi, or Mary Magdalene are the stars. They tend to get most of the attention on All Saints Day.

By the tenth century there were those who felt we were in danger of losing something precious if we forgot the everyday Christian, who might never be famous, but did his or her best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

So, a new day was added to our church calendar. It is All Souls Days, observed on November 2. Many churches have a service on this day which includes reading the names of all the saints who have died in the past year, and perhaps including others that family and friends have asked to be remembered. Along with Good Friday, All Souls Day is one of two days during the Church Year when black is the usual liturgical color.

In Mexico All Saints Day and All Souls Day, as well as a few days right before these two, have been blended together into an observance known as the Day of the Dead. The observance has spread into the American Southwest, and if you are ever in San Antonio around this time, try to take the Spanish Mission tour. You will find the altars of the churches are elaborately decorated, sometimes in a way which might strike some of us as rather grim, as skulls are commonly featured. To those who worship here they are simply reminders of our mortality and our love for the departed.

If All Saints Day does not fall on Sunday, it is automatically transferred to the next Sunday. It is not considered an optional observance, but one we should celebrate every year. We also need to remember that in the Episcopal tradition we do not pray to saints or ask favors of them. We honor and commemorate them, and that is all. Should you have slipped up a few times and had a talk with Saint Jude or someone else, do not worry. God understands.

There are some wonderful hymns that have been written to help us celebrate All Saints Day. So, sing with gusto, enjoy the day, and celebrate your sainthood.

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ST PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH BLOG

Rector's Thoughts (October 17, 2026)

By Derek Larson • October 17, 2026

Quick Note: We hope you can join us tonight (Saturday, October 17th) at the rectory for our Backyard Open Mic Night gathering! 6:00pm! Pizza will be provided; you bring anything else you like. Now for what I'm thinking about this week: Here it is! A new look to our weekly newsletter. We hope this design is more accessible, engaging, community oriented, and clear in sharing all that's going on in the parish. Thank you so much to our Communications Team who worked hard on this. We highly encourage you to subscribe to our text messages so that you can receive it right on your phone as well! You might notice in the bottom section of the newsletter (called, "All the Rest"), we have three titles: The Table, The Living Room, and the Kitchen. A word about these images. The word parish literally means "to dwell beside". The idea is that a parish is a community of people who share life with one another. Let's take that idea a step further and imagine that St. Peter's is our spiritual family home. Where in the home do people gather? From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christian faith has been lived out in three primary ways. The Benedictines call these three areas Prayer, Study, and Work. A healthy and mature Christian faith includes all three areas. The three areas are also guiding principles in our parish life together. The Table is the place we gather for prayer. We gather each week at the altar for the Eucharist, to share a Divine meal with God and one another. We gather each day for Morning and Evening Prayer, speaking aloud the names of those on our parish prayer list and the needs of the world in the presence of Christ and the holy sacrament. The Table is a metaphor for prayer. The Living Room is the place we gather to grow in our Christian faith. It's where we share stories with one another, get to know each other, and spend time with one another. In Sunday School, Bible Study, and small groups, we gather to learn. At coffee hour, Engage Cafe, and festive dinners we gather to grow closer to one another. And thus the Living Room is a metaphor for fellowship and formation (study). The Kitchen is the place we gather to serve. Where aprons are put on, hands are washed, and sleeves are rolled up as we work together to take care of the community. At St. Peter's we serve both internally (through the work of Ministry Teams, the Vestry, the Choir, the Altar Guild, Lectors, etc.) and externally (through the work of Laundry Love, Friends in the Park, Meals on Wheels baskets, and so much more). The Kitchen is a metaphor for serving (work). To live out our lives as Christians means to live in Christian community in these three areas. In this new weekly newsletter, all of the relevant events, gatherings, and happenings in the parish will be listed in these areas to help us consider how we are engaging in the life of the whole parish. As you walk with others in faith at St. Peter's, I invite you to regularly participate in at least one gathering for prayer, one gathering for formation, and one way to serve. When we participate in the life of the parish in these three areas, not only will we see our parish strengthened, we'll see our relationships flourish and our personal faith lives grow. I hope you like the new design! I can't wait to see some photos that you submit to be featured each week. That's what's on my mind this week. I wonder what's on yours. I'd love to hear. Peace, Derek The Rev. Derek Larson

Rector's Thoughts- July 10, 2026

By Derek Larson • September 8, 2026

This week I am thinking about the treasure trove that is The Book of Common Prayer and other authorized liturgies in the Episcopal tradition. Most of us have no idea just how many wonderful prayers and liturgies there are for all occasions of life. For obvious reasons, the one that is foremost on my mind is on page 439 in The Book of Common Prayer, Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child. This liturgy has quite a history, going back hundreds of years. It has its roots in the Jewish tradition of purification rites for women 40 days after childbirth, but equally emphasizes thanksgiving for the birth of a child. In centuries where mortality rates of women during the birth of a child were very high, it became particularly important to thank God for safety in coming through it. It also was often the first time much of the community would be introduced to the child, who may or may not have been baptized yet, and thus it became a presentation of the child to God and to the community of God.