In early November, Saint Francis students and faculty gathered in the Burns Gym to celebrate the All Saints’ Day Mass. Organized by the Saint Francis Campus Ministry, this annual Mass commemorated saints of the present and those who have passed on.
Because All Saints’ Day is a holy day of obligation, the Church invites everyone to Mass to honor the saints. The Feast of All Saints was first established when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin. With different popes over the years, minor details like the date have changed, but the underlying purpose has remained constant.
The sacred procession began with brief directions from Mrs. Amy Stacke to sing along and participate throughout the Mass, an introduction unique to this All Saints’ Day Mass. Students were inspired in front of a sing-along director, who motivated them to share their good spirits and holy attitude throughout the Mass. Anya Nandiwada (’25) mentioned that as everyone participated, she “felt very in sync with the rest of the students.”
Under Mrs. Stacke’s leadership, Agape, the Saint Francis liturgy band, led the day’s worship on its own for the first time in Saint Francis history.
As Father Tony Mancuso discussed the stories of saints on Earth and in heaven, he emphasized that faith calls on each of the liturgy’s attendees to pray for each other. Students and faculty then stood in the gym in unison, honored the saints of the past, and asked for those in heaven to pray for them. Referencing Joe Sample’s song “U-Turn,” Father Tony’s subsequent homily focused on having “latitude in your attitude”: maintaining an open mind to different situations and experiences.
Mr. Andrew Brown, Associate Director of Campus Ministry and Ignite Youth Group moderator, described the Mass as a chance to thank the saints above for “giving a life of goodness and virtue” and emphasized that looking at saints’ lives can help us make a change in our own lives. Referencing St. Francis of Assisi’s example, Mr. Brown articulated that looking at the saint’s love for the environment can be “a reminder to us to think about how we are treating the environment.”
All in all, the All Saints’ Day liturgy service was a success. Saint Francis gathered together as a community, singing, celebrating, and loving like the saints did. The service reflected our BRIC values, as we are called to be saints, and therefore love each other like family, respect each other, live with integrity, and bring hope to everyone. As Pope Francis said, “To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone.” The recent liturgy fulfilled this sentiment.
