- Feb 5, 2002
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It’s good to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Let’s not let such a culturally important day pass without bringing the faith to bear upon it.
(Image: Catherine Crawford / Unsplash.com)
The American holiday calendar is surprisingly rich with Catholic traditions—St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, All Hallows Eve, Christmas, and Easter. All of them, however, have taken on a life of their own, shaped by American consumerism, and often bear little resemblance to their Catholic origins.
Halloween, in particular, has drawn elements from the celebration of All Souls Day and various pagan traditions, especially the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the beginning of winter and the new year. More than pagan roots, however, the modern turn to horror and the occult requires a response from Catholics, both banishing when necessary and baptizing where possible.
You cannot hide from Halloween. Gigantic skeletons, dead bodies hanging from trees, and disturbing billboards advertising an experience straight out of hell. For years, many people have argued that we shouldn’t overreact—trick or treating is fun, and it’s good to focus on death and evil in lighthearted ways. That may sound all fine and good, but that kind of experience hasn’t existed for decades. It’s becoming ever more evident that the holiday has become a cover for evil to come out of the shadows. If the Celts thought evil spirits ran wild on this night, they are doing so again.
Exorcists have warned Catholics against being drawn into the darker side of Halloween. Father Francesco Bamonte, president of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE), which released a book, The Dark Charm of Halloween, explained to Catholic News Agency:
Continued below.
The American holiday calendar is surprisingly rich with Catholic traditions—St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, All Hallows Eve, Christmas, and Easter. All of them, however, have taken on a life of their own, shaped by American consumerism, and often bear little resemblance to their Catholic origins.
Halloween, in particular, has drawn elements from the celebration of All Souls Day and various pagan traditions, especially the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the beginning of winter and the new year. More than pagan roots, however, the modern turn to horror and the occult requires a response from Catholics, both banishing when necessary and baptizing where possible.
You cannot hide from Halloween. Gigantic skeletons, dead bodies hanging from trees, and disturbing billboards advertising an experience straight out of hell. For years, many people have argued that we shouldn’t overreact—trick or treating is fun, and it’s good to focus on death and evil in lighthearted ways. That may sound all fine and good, but that kind of experience hasn’t existed for decades. It’s becoming ever more evident that the holiday has become a cover for evil to come out of the shadows. If the Celts thought evil spirits ran wild on this night, they are doing so again.
Exorcists have warned Catholics against being drawn into the darker side of Halloween. Father Francesco Bamonte, president of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE), which released a book, The Dark Charm of Halloween, explained to Catholic News Agency:
Continued below.
