Some of you might recall last year, quite a bit of blogosphere conversation about the All Saints Vigil at the Dominican House of Studies in DC. It seemed from the outside – an impression confirmed by those who attended  – to be quite beautiful.
The Dominicans have put together a “how-to” for this vigil, available here, and since it’s about 7 weeks away – those interested might want to take a look!
(Dominicans not included)

  Every year at our Vigil of All Saints, we meet people who say: “This is great!  Why don’t we do this everywhere?”  In fact, every year, we get inquiries from around the country asking us to help them get their own local Vigil of All Saints up and running.
            We have collected here most of the resources that a typical parish, campus ministry, religious house, seminary, or other group would need to put on their own Vigil of All Saints.  There are a number of documents that you’ll want to download, at least to see how we do our Vigil.  You’ll also find below a step-by-step description of how to plan and execute the Vigil. 
          The Vigil of All Saints has become among the most popular events here at the Dominican House of Studies.  “Inspiring” and “beautiful” does not capture the experience of the people who attend: somehow, the Vigil gives us a taste of great riches of the Catholic tradition – a taste for which most Catholics today hunger.  It also makes us aware of the connection – powerful and real – to the long line of saints who have lived before us, and who still love us and help us with their prayers.
            Amidst the secular (and even pagan) celebrations of Halloween, the Vigil of All Saints is a marvelous opportunity to reclaim, re-Christianize, and evangelize a night that is almost universally celebrated without any reference to Christ.  Here is fertile soil to sow the seeds of what John Paul II called “The New Evangelization.”

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