As it sometimes does, in the year 2025, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – otherwise known as “All Souls” falls on a Sunday. This affects the liturgical calendar in two ways: All Saints falls on a Saturday and remains a Holy Day, but not one of obligation. All Souls replaces the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time and is celebrated in its stead. 

From the earliest centuries, Christians prayed for the dead. Inscriptions in the Roman catacombs bear witness to intercessory prayers offered for the repose of departed souls. The Eucharist especially was celebrated in memory of the faithful departed. As time passed the monastic communities, particularly Benedictines, played a major role in shaping the Commemoration. Monks would set aside days to remember and pray for confreres who had died. A well-known example is Cluny Abbey in the 10th century, where Abbot Odilo established a commemoration of all the faithful departed, a practice that gradually spread throughout Europe. As the practice moved from monasteries to parishes, local churches and chapels, it developed into a universal observance, deeply tied to the life of ordinary Christian families, who saw it as a time to pray for deceased relatives and friends.