The Feast of All Saints: Celebrating the Witness of Holiness
Some saints have a statue, a feast day, a title. Most have none of these, only a name that God knows. This is what All Saints tells the whole Church: holiness is a call addressed to every Christian, and many who answered it have never been named by the Church, or not yet. The Book of Revelation (7:9) speaks of a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. That multitude is our family.
When I think of this multitude, I think of the first missionaries, the catechists who walked for hours just to reach a Mass, the grandparents, and the mothers and fathers who passed on the faith through their love and the education they gave their children. Each one, according to their state in life, spoke of Christ and passed on the Gospel. Some we still remember: we mention them in our churches and in our families. Others have faded from memory, but they are not forgotten by God. Together they form the communion of saints, and they walk with us who are still on the way.
In Cameroon, where I live and serve, I see their work in every church I visit. And each of us, wherever we come from, has such people. Who first carried the faith to your village, your family, your country?
As Dominicans, we receive this call in a particular way, for our vocation is to preach. Saint Dominic shows us what that looks like: as a young student, he sold his precious books to feed the hungry during a famine, because he could not study while people were starving. His preaching began with a life given to God, in prayer, study and fraternity. We think of him, and of the countless Dominican brothers and sisters who followed him, who preached, taught and gave their lives.
And these saints are closer than we think. Pope Francis calls them “the saints next door” in Gaudete et Exsultate, and I find such holiness in my own family. I think of my late mother, my grandfather and my ancestors. I do not presume to call them saints, but I hope they are in God’s care. My grandfather had a special devotion to Saint Anthony, and he used to pray that one of his grandchildren would give their life to God. I sometimes wonder whether my own vocation is a fruit of his prayers.
My gratitude goes also to the pioneer sisters of our congregation in Cameroon. They gave their lives for our charism, and they have gone before us. I think in particular of Sister Rosalia Leite de Souza, who returned to the Father only a year ago. She worked tirelessly to help our charism take root in Cameroon. She loved the Dominican Family with all her heart and soul, and she passed that love on to me. We trust that she and all our pioneer sisters are with God and that they intercede for us. Their faith, like that of my family, shows me that God works through those who came before us.
What all of them teach me is that holiness is not about being perfect. It is about letting God transform us, day by day, in the ordinary realities of prayer, community life and service.
So for me, All Saints’ Day is a reminder that holiness is never far away. It may begin with the courage of a pioneer, the quiet faith of a grandparent, the prayers of a mother, or the example of someone whose name the world may never know.
Sr. Linda Korie, OP – Dominican Sisters of Blessed Imelda
