It was inevitable...Halloween Mass with costumes

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Our parish is having a Halloween Mass next week; *not *for All Souls Day…but Halloween! And kids are *invited *to wear their costumes. Halloween today isn’t about witches and goblins. Its been twisted to celebrate brutality and cruelty.

I’m no hard-liner, but the thought of kids receiving Communion while costumed as brutal murderers or their bloody victims…as mnay will…is simply appalling to me.
 
I’m with you! However, if the kids were supposed to be portraying their favorite saint/angels, that would be all right, I think. Although the whole idea of kids wearing costumes to Mass doesn’t seem quite right, somehow.
 
The reason the Church placed All Saints and All Souls on the first and second days of November was precisely to counteract the evil, pre-Christian feast that is today called Halloween. Trust me, a lot more happens on Halloween and the night of the 30th than children trick-or-treating. This is a major Satanic “holy” day, and our local Knights of Columbus began staking out the local Catholic cemetery to guard against profanation, after someone attempted to dig up the grave of a recently-deceased baby on Halloween. They also pray for the souls of the deceased. It is entirely inappropriate to have a costume party during Mass. Having an All Saints party where children dress up as saints (BEFORE their martyrdom!!!) is fine in the parish hall, but having costumed children, or even worse, adults, present during a Mass should never happen.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
The reason the Church placed All Saints and All Souls on the first and second days of November was precisely to counteract the evil, pre-Christian feast that is today called Halloween. Trust me, a lot more happens on Halloween and the night of the 30th than children trick-or-treating. This is a major Satanic “holy” day, and our local Knights of Columbus even stake out the local Catholic cemetery to guard against profanation, after someone attempted to dig up the grave of a recently-deceased baby on Halloween. It is entirely inappropriate to have a costume party during Mass. Having an All Saints party where children dress up as saints (BEFORE their martyrdom!!!) is fine in the parish hall, but having costumed children, or even worse, adults, present during a Mass should never happen.
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Agreed. At my children’s Catholic school - Halloween is NOT celebrated. No costumes, no parties - nothing. Our Priest said that the only thing special about Halloween is that it falls before All Saints Day - which IS a day we celebrate. He has nothing against parents letting children trick or treat - but it’s not a day observed by our parish/school.
 
DWPC said:
Our parish is having a Halloween Mass next week; *not *for All Souls Day…but Halloween! And kids are *invited *to wear their costumes. Halloween today isn’t about witches and goblins. Its been twisted to celebrate brutality and cruelty.

I’m no hard-liner, but the thought of kids receiving Communion while costumed as brutal murderers or their bloody victims…as mnay will…is simply appalling to me.
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Arrrrrrgghhh!!!:mad:
 
carol_marie said:
Agreed. At my children’s Catholic school - Halloween is NOT celebrated. No costumes, no parties - nothing. Our Priest said that the only thing special about Halloween is that it falls before All Saints Day - which IS a day we celebrate. He has nothing against parents letting children trick or treat - but it’s not a day observed by our parish/school.
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We celebrate All Saints Day! The kids dress up as their favorite saints and take up the gifts for the Holy Mass then have a big party after. One girl came as Mother Theresa. Her costume was a WOW!

My daughters were St. Agnus and St. Philomena, because Mommy doesn’t sew and we had to make do.
When my older girl took up the gifts, she could not take her lamb prop. Father names the saints as they walk up. He looked at her, with roses in her hair and said, “St. Rose of Lima?”
She shook her head.
He said, “Don’t tell me.”
After mass she walked back with her lamb and he yelled, “St. Agnus! I should have known!”

We have a great parish!
 
One of our priests wore a paper miter labeled “Pope John Paul 2 1/2”:rolleyes:
 
I’m all for Halloween, but not like this. It does seem odd. Do the EMHC’s get dressed up too?
 
Does the local Bishop know about this? If he doesn’t, he should be informed. If he does, he should take steps to put a stop to it. If he approves, I’d take photos of the children dressed up as monsters receiving communion and send them off to the Holy See asking them for clarification.
Cavaille-Coll said:
The reason the Church placed All Saints and All Souls on the first and second days of November was precisely to counteract the evil, pre-Christian feast that is today called Halloween …
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Actually, that is incorrect. All Saints Day came BEFORE Halloween even existed. All Saints Day was also referred to as the Day of All Hallows. The day before was All Hallows Eve – which eventually became Halloween.
 
Your parish & /or school does not have a prohibition of brutal murderer costumes? Our does- Also against Dracula, witches, Frankenstein, anything gory, anything bloody, anything profane, anything that profanes (no strippers or other sexually-oriented costumes). Only PreK through Grade 6 may dress.

This leaves:
  • Saints.
  • Birds of the air and beasts of the field or other animals (St. Francis has to have SOMEBODY to care for).
  • Historical costumes (George Washington, Davey Crocket, etc.).
    -G-rated movies and TV shows (few and far, but some, and there is a list).
    -An adult a child would like to emulate, including a “mommy” for a girl and a “daddy” for a boy.
We do not have Mass in costume that day. If we did, there’d be no costume that would be upsetting, but when Halloween has been on a Mass day, we switch it.

We DO have a very lovely All Saints Mass, and a remembrance of the dead on All Souls.
 
What do you mean by Halloween on a Mass day? All days are Mass days.:confused:
 
Some years ago, I went to a Halloween Mass dressed as the Pope. I came in chasuable, mitre and pastoral staff. Of course I removed the mitre whenever the pope would remove the mitre.

Of course, this was before I became a traditionalist Catholic.😃
 
All days are Mass days, but our school Mass is usually on Friday.
 
DWPC said:
Our parish is having a Halloween Mass next week; *not *for All Souls Day…but Halloween! And kids are *invited *to wear their costumes

I’m no hard-liner, but the thought of kids receiving Communion while costumed as brutal murderers or their bloody victims…as mnay will…is simply appalling to me.
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I have to wonder where the church is heading of this were allowed to go on.

Halloween is a great kids day for Trick or Treating…but IMO there is no place for it inside the church. I think I would cringe if our parish allowed little ax murderers to approach and receive Eucharist.

Maybe it is just me…but this is going a tad too far.

:heart:Blyss
 
Sir_Knight said:
Actually, that is incorrect. All Saints Day came BEFORE Halloween even existed. All Saints Day was also referred to as the Day of All Hallows. The day before was All Hallows Eve – which eventually became Halloween.
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Since about the time of Christ, the Celtic peoples set aside the day corresponding to 1 November to worship Samhain, their god of the dead. Since the Celts lived in various places throughout Europe, similar observances were held on that day by other cultures. Christianity tried to counteract it by establishing All Saints Day and All Souls Day on this day. The word Halloween is well known as a contraction of the English phrase (All) Hallows’ Even(ing). All Saints Day was originally the Sunday after Pentecost until the Middle Ages, when the date was fixed to 1 November. Unfortunately, the pagan elements remain and are getting stronger.
 
Well, if your parish is having a “Hallowe’en Mass”, it must be truly rare…it’s never happened anywhere near me…and perhaps you misread it, or perhaps some angry and disobedient traditionalist made it up or misunderstood what they heard, or perhaps your bishop doesn’t know, or perhaps you didn’t work hard enough to make a CD and document what goes on in your parish and diocese to send to Rome, or perhaps a new document had been published about the “mere discipline” of the liturgy that allows this, and in obedience we must assent lest we be labeled any number of near-schismatic things…
 
Damascus said:
I’m all for Halloween, but not like this. It does seem odd. Do the EMHC’s get dressed up too?
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Gee, now that you mention it, I should have worn my Statue of Liberty costume to cantor on the Fourth of July weekend.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
Since about the time of Christ, the Celtic peoples set aside the day corresponding to 1 November to worship Samhain, their god of the dead. Since the Celts lived in various places throughout Europe, similar observances were held on that day by other cultures. Christianity tried to counteract it by establishing All Saints Day and All Souls Day on this day. The word Halloween is well known as a contraction of the English phrase (All) Hallows’ Even(ing). All Saints Day was originally the Sunday after Pentecost until the Middle Ages, when the date was fixed to 1 November. Unfortunately, the pagan elements remain and are getting stronger.
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Yes, many of the pagan holy days pre-date or originate around the same time as Christianity. Celebrations usually took place at each solstice, equinox, and halfway between each. These observances were not so much replaced as assimilated by the Christian missionaries, and eventually the Church placed her own holy days at those times.

If we Catholics want to follow the teachings of Christ and His Church, rather than the whims of society, the first thing we need to do is acknowledge that our holy days were placed on the calendar (with the exception of Easter) according to the pagan calendar, primarily as a means of teaching and converting those same pagans. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with that. But I always think once and twice and three times before setting up a Christmas tree in my home, or staging an Easter egg hunt. These customs are completely pagan in their origins, however long the Christian community has been using them.

As for children (and adults) attending mass and receiving communion in costume… I always felt the sacrifice of the mass was the one place I could remove all pretense. On the other hand, maybe attending mass dressed as a saint would remind me of the great calling I have received as a Christian!

We are having a beautiful autumn here in Colorado. I hope you all are enjoying God’s gifts to you today.

Gertie (not my real name, but I like it)
 
I’ve never heard of a Halloween Mass. However, last week my third grade niece told me that in her religious ed class they had a “Halloween” party - but they were to dress as their favorite saint and be able to tell the class about the saint. I thought that was a nice way to educate the kids about the lives of the saints.
 
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