November 1st - Feast of All Saints

All Saints Day, All Hallows Day or Hallowmas is a veneration of all the saints, martyred or otherwise that have gone before.  In England the day corresponds with an earlier Celtic festival called Samhain which venerates the dead.  It was generally celebrated beginning with a vigil held on October 31st which has morphed into Halloween or All Hallows Eve.

The Litany of the Saints is recited communally.

Lord have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.  God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, all ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Joseph, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Andrew, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Thomas, Saint James, Saint Philip, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Matthew, Saint Simon, Saint Thaddeus, Saint Matthias, Saint Barnabas, Saint Luke, Saint Mark all ye holy apostles and evangelists, all ye holy disciples of the Lord, all ye holy innocents. 

Saint Stephen, Saint Lawrence, Saint Vincent, Saints Fabian and Sebastian, Saints John and Paul, Saints Cosmos and Damian, Saints Gervase and Protase, all ye holy martyrs, Saint Sylvester, Saint Gregory, Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, Saint Martin, Saint Nicholas all ye holy bishops and confessors, all ye holy doctors.

Saint Anthony, Saint Benedict, Saint Bernard, Saint Dominic, Saint Francis all  ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits.

Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Agatha, Saint Lucy, Saint Agnes, Saint Cecilia, Saint Catherine, Saint Anastasia, Saint Clare all ye holy virgins and widows pray for us. Al ye holy men and women, saints of God, make intercession for us. 

Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.  Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, O Lord deliver us. From all sin, from thy wrath, from sudden and unprovided death, from the snares of the devil, from anger and hatred and all ill-will, from the spirit of fornication, from the scourge of earthquake, from plague, famine and war, from lightning and tempest, from everlasting death, through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, through Thy coming, through Thy birth, through Thy baptism and holy fasting, through the Institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament, through Thy cross and passion, through Thy death and burial, through Thy holy resurrection, through Thine admirable Ascension, through the coming of the Holy Ghost the Paraclete, in the day of judgment, O Lord deliver us.

We sinners, we beseech Thee, hear us.  That Thou wouldst spare us, that Thou wouldst pardon us, that Thou wouldst bring us to true penance, that Thous wouldst vouchsafe to govern and preserve Thy holy Church, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate and all orders of the Church in holy religion, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of holy Church, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring back to the unity of the Church all those who have strayed away, and lead to the light of the Gospel all unbelievers, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service, that Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires, that Thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our benefactors, that Thou wouldst deliver our souls and the souls of our brethren, relatives and benefactors from eternal damnation, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, Son of God, we beseech Thee, hear us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.  Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Let us pray.

Almighty, everlasting God, who has dominion over both the living and the dead and art merciful to all who, as Thou foreknowest, will be Thine by faith and works; we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world still doth detain them in the flesh bodies, may, by the grace of Thy fatherly love and through the intercession of all the saints, obtain the remission of all their sins.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen.

Therefore we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Hebrews 12:1-3