Q. We seem to celebrate saints’ feast days every day of the year. If every saint has a designated feast day, why do we need an All Saints’ Day? A. When we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints (November 31), the term “saints” refers to all those who have now been perfected and enjoy the Beatific Vision (the vision of God) for eternity. The saints who have been canonized and recognized by the Church, each with a memorial on the liturgical calendar, comprise only a portion of t

Q. This week we celebrate the Feast of Pope St. John Paul II (October 22). He left such a legacy of wisdom and inspiration through his preaching and writing; what is your favorite JPII quote? A. We have so many quotes from this beloved saint to choose from! But I would offer the following words from his address to the young people attending the Vigil of Prayer for the 15th Youth World Day at the Tor Vergata University in Rome on August 19, 2000: “It is in fact Jesus that you

Q. When we celebrate a feast day of a saint “and companions,” what is meant by “companions”? Are we honoring the saint’s friends? A. “Companions” in this sense refers to those who suffered martyrdom for the Christian faith along with the saint who is named. They may not all have died on the same day or in the same place, but they share certain important circumstances of their martyrdom. For example, next week (on October 19), we celebrate the memorial of the martyr priests S