FROM THE ARCHIVE · FRI OCT 30
Who says Mass when there is no priest in town?
This week’s documentary, and the Christian feast behind October 31.
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
The Catholic Priest Shortage
Our new documentary, live from Thursday, follows the American priest shortage through the numbers, the path to ordination and what it means for parishes. It says plainly which figures are firm and which are not.
FROM THE VAULT
The Silent Catholic Exodus (Professor Archive on YouTube)
From last December: the wider story of America’s largest church. A good companion to this week’s film.
ONE MINUTE OF CHURCH HISTORY
Oct 31
Why it is called Halloween
“Hallows” is an old English word for saints. All Hallows’ Eve is the evening before All Saints’ Day on November 1 (Britannica). With All Souls’ Day on November 2, the three days are called Allhallowtide.
The feast grew slowly. In 609 Pope Boniface IV dedicated Rome’s Pantheon as a church to Mary and all martyrs. Gregory III (731–741) dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s to all saints on November 1, and in 837 Gregory IV ordered the feast kept across the Church.
What about the Celtic festival of Samhain? Historians still debate how much Halloween owes to it. Britannica says little is known for certain about ancient Samhain and that the Christian feasts developed independently; the Library of Congress gives the older view that they were meant to replace it.
One more date: by tradition, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, the eve of All Saints’. Historians question whether he nailed them to the door, but Lutherans still keep the day as Reformation Day (Britannica).
P.S. New here? Your free easy-to-read chart, Denominations at a Glance, is in your welcome email.
Hallows, Samhain or Luther: which surprised you most? One-word replies help us reach you.
Professor Archive