From its earliest days, the Church has recognized the “Communion of Saints” as one of the pillars of the faith. These countless heroes—some known, many not—have inspired the faithful in times of trouble and crisis, helped illuminate the way, and supported the Church through their witness and ongoing prayers. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III dedicated one of the chapels inside St. Peter’s in Rome to the saints on November 1. Within a century, All Saints’ Day was being observed on that day in England and Ireland.

“Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company which is desirable in itself… In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints.” —Bernard of Clairvaux

Many will be familiar with the wonderful All Saints hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams: ”For All The Saints,” the melody of which is called “Sine Nomine” (Latin for “without a name"). That follows a Renaissance tradition of naming certain compositions "Sine Nomine" if they were not settings for preexisting tunes. Still, it is not lost on people that most saints are “without a name” in the sense that they never achieved notoriety, but were certainly known to God. This version is by the King’s College Choir, in England. We apologize for any ads that might pop up before or after the audio file.