The Feast of All Souls, or All Souls’ Day, is a day set apart for honouring those who have died.

Due to current restrictions we will not have a liturgy like we have done in previous years. Instead we would like to invite all whanau who have recently lost a loved one to hand in a photograph which we will display in our school reception area and then keep on display for all of November. 

You can also email the photograph to pamela@sjr.nz.

November 1st is All Saints' Day. It is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. It should not be confused with All Souls' Day, which is observed on November 2, and is dedicated to those who have died and not yet reached heaven. All Saints' Day was formally started by Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs on May 13 in 609 AD. Boniface IV also established All Souls' Day, which follows All Saints.

All Souls Day is a holy day set aside for honoring the dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and a few other denominations of Christianity. Purgatory is necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter into heaven. There is a scriptural basis for the belief of purgatory. The primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:46; “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”