All Saints’ Day is a solemnity to honor all saints of the Church. In the early days of Christianity, only martyrs and John the Baptist were celebrated on specific days. More saints’ feast days were added as canonization processes were established. Pope Gregory IV (827-844) established this feast day to recall saints’ holiness for the entire Church, according to The Catholic Encyclopedia. All Souls’ Day, on the other hand, remembers all the faithful departed; the Church on earth prays for the deceased.
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