On All Saints Day: LET THE SAINTS COME HOME!

Today is All Saints Day -- one of the most profound feasts in the Catholic calendar—a day when the Church pauses to honor that “great cloud of witnesses” who have gone before us in faith. 

This day is not merely a commemoration of holy men and women of the past, but a reminder of what the Church is at its deepest level: a communion of saints, a family that bridges heaven and earth. For so many of us who grew up learning their stories and fervently beseeching them, the saints are not distant or mythical figures; they are companions and models who show us what holiness looks like in human form. 

How sad then, that in many Catholic churches in America, the once-vivid presence of the saints has faded. Where once statues, icons, and stained-glass windows told their stories, many sanctuaries today stand bare—minimalist spaces stripped of the visual reminders of those who lived the Gospel heroically. This absence is more than aesthetic; it represents a spiritual impoverishment. It is time now to call for a renewed veneration of the saints and their return to the heart of parish life.

In fact, given the events of recent weeks, one could argue that instead of talking to one another in kumbaya-style roundtable synods, we Catholics should be conversing with the saints. T hey are, after all, still here. And, they've been neglected for so long they probably have a lot to say by now -- and we've much to learn from them.

How well some us remember that for centuries, Catholic churches were alive with the images of the saints—Saint Joseph, protector of families and workers; Saint Anthony, finder of the lost; Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who taught the “little way” of love; Saint Francis of Assisi, mirror of Christ’s humility and joy; and the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of mercy and queen of all saints. These figures, rendered in marble, wood, and glass, were not mere decoration. They were catechists and evangelizers in their own right. 

To the faithful in earlier centuries (such as my Italian grandparents and great grandparents) they were the “Bible in stone,” visual reminders of virtue, sacrifice, and divine friendship. A young child gazing upon Saint Joan of Arc learned courage; an anxious mother lighting a candle before Saint Jude learned hope; a tired worker kneeling before Saint Joseph learned dignity in labor. The saints gave face and form to holiness, showing that sanctity was attainable for every person, in every walk of life.

By now it should be apparent to us that the saints are not merely ornamental; their absence can make the faith feel abstract, disconnected from the human experience. A church without saints feels like a home without family photographs—technically complete, but emotionally barren.

The renewal of devotion to the saints is not a matter of nostalgia; it is a matter of spiritual necessity. The saints embody the Church’s living tradition. They show how the Gospel takes root in different cultures, eras, and circumstances. In a time when believers face confusion, moral relativism, and discouragement, the witness of the saints can restore clarity and courage. Consider Saint Catherine of Siena (pictured) who spoke truth to power with fearless charity, or Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who offered his life for another in a Nazi death camp. Their lives proclaim that holiness is possible—even heroic—in the darkest of times.

Restoring the saints to our churches means restoring their presence in our imaginations, prayers, and daily lives. Their images should again adorn our sanctuaries, their stories should be taught to children, and their feast days should be celebrated with the joy and reverence they deserve. Parishioners should be encouraged to find a patron saint not just to pray to, but to emulate—to make the communion of saints a lived reality rather than a distant doctrine.

On this All Saints Day, the Church would do well to recover her rich, incarnational tradition—a tradition that sees holiness not as an abstract idea but as a living reality embodied in men and women who look like us, who struggled like us, and who triumphed by grace. Let our churches once again be filled with their faces, their symbols, their stories. Let the saints come home!