All Saints Day is my favorite day at St. Benedict Classical Academy. This day makes visible an invisible reality: that I am surrounded by little saints each day I go to work. Each day as I walk across the turf field from my classroom in our St. Gertrude building to the main Schoolhouse I traverse simultaneous football and soccer games, a few basketballs, a handful of jump ropes, and at least three make-believe worlds. Typically, there is much that distracts us from the glory these young saints offer to God through their prayer, work, and play. But on All Saints Day, the veil is lifted.

All students at SBCA are invited to dress as their favorite Saint to celebrate this great Feast. At the end of our All Saints Day festivities, our Kindergarten through third-grade students parade out to the turf in their saint costumes, each proudly introducing themselves and showing off their creative attire. We see numerous Josephs, Marys, Cecilias, Thereses, and Francises – the list goes on. I am always particularly struck by the sheer number of St. Michaels that descend upon our campus sporting their cardboard or feather angel wings, swords of every shape and size, and shields. I still remember last year when the Kindergarten class had about 8 or 9 in just one class! Ms. Cushen marvelously placed them all next to each other, and when it came time for them to introduce themselves, they all shouted in unison, “We’re St. Michael!” lifting their swords in the air like a little army ready to charge. You could feel the gates of Hell tremble before these knee-high warriors, and never before have I felt myself in the midst of such a Braveheart-level battle charge. 

This made me wonder: why are there so many St. Micheals? Surely, there’s something in the spirit of a young boy who wants to carry a sword. But if you ask any of those little St. Michaels why they carry that sword, they’ll tell you – they carry it because they’re fighting for God.

This is, of course, the noblest of endeavors – to go into battle for God. There is something very heroic about wielding a sword. Saints like St. George, St. Sebastian, and St. Michael show us a clear allegiance and a certain victory. But the beautiful reality our students see is that saints who carry no swords—St. Monica and St. Thomas, or St. Francis and St. Thérèse, who carry instead animals and flowers—are equally part of this great and victorious communion of saints. All Saints Day always gives me pause to consider what I might learn from our students: that each of us are called to be a great saint. And if we would but lift the veil, we might walk through life with the courage and purpose of our little St. Michaels – ready to answer God’s call, whatever it may be.

AUTHOR: Zach Morris, Grade 6 Teacher