Saint Patrick High School held a special service on Thursday, November 1, 2007 marking the Feast of All Saints with a mass for the entire school community.  Father William Holbrook of Saint Ferdinand Church presided over the service.

In his closing remarks, Saint Patrick Principal, Dr. Joseph Schmidt, suggested that each student find a saint that they have something in common with and learn as much as they can about that saint.  That saint can then serve as a role model and someone that student can pray to.  As an example Schmidt shared who his saint is, “my favorite saint is St. John Baptist De La Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers and patron saint of all teachers, because he loved kids, and he loved to teach.  Without St. De La Salle, none of us would be here today.  There would be no Christian Brothers, and there would be no Saint Patrick High School,” said Schmidt.

The Feast of All Saints recognizes the contributions of all saints, both known and unknown.  The primary reason for establishing a common feast day grew out of the desire to honor the great number of martyrs who were persecuted during the early years of Christianity.  There were not enough days of the year for a feast day for each martyr, so a common feast day for all saints seemed most appropriate.  The Feast of All Saints has a history going back to the fourth century AD.  Pope Gregory IV, who served from 827 to 844 set the date for the Feast of All Saints on November 1,in 837 and it hasn’t been changed for nearly 1,200 years.