All Saints’ Day

by Jeanne Brasile

 

Woodcut engraving of Madonna and St. Jerone
Saint Jerome or Madonna and the Saints
engraving after Francesco Bartolozzi by Karl Heinrich-Muller
19th century
2012.00.0032

November 1 is the annual celebration of All Saints Day which honors all Catholic saints, particularly those with no special feast day of their own.  All Saints Day is celebrated worldwide by Roman Catholics as well as other Christian denominations.  A feast day commemorates a saint or saints who are remembered on their individual feast days with special services and prayers.  Certain feast days include public celebrations and processions.  Some saints are celebrated internationally, while others are honored regionally or locally.

All Saints Day was first observed under Pope Boniface IV on May 1, 609 when he dedicated Rome’s Pantheon to the Virgin Mary and the Martyrs.  Pope Boniface also instituted All Souls Day, an additional day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died.  Celebrated on November 2, it immediately follows All Saints Day.[1]  In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved the All Saints Day observance to November 1,  though celebrations were local to Rome.  Under Pope Gregory IV, All Saints Day became an official worldwide observance for the entirety of the church.[2]

Prior to the 10th century, there was no formalized process for identifying and sanctifying saints.  This was addressed by Pope John XV who defined the parameters for sainthood.  Previous to Pope John XV, sainthood was often attained through popular public opinion.  Today, there are more than 10,000 recognized saints.[3]  The Catholic Online website has a comprehensive list of saints, angels and feast days – in addition to a wealth of other Catholic resources.  It will give you a sense of the many saints venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, and it is fun to browse.  For instance, did you know Saint Bernardino is the patron saint of advertising and communications?  Or that Saint Januarius is the patron saint of blood banks, and in Naples, also volcanoes?  Seton Hall University’s Walsh Gallery and Archives and Special Collections have a significant number of collections that featuring various Catholic saints.  In honor of All Saints Day, we have assembled these images of art and artifacts featuring those who have been canonized.

Sketch of medal honoring Elizabeth Ann Seton
Design for Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal from Dieges and Clust
2018.17.0001.a

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the University’s namesake, is the patron saint of Catholic schools, widows, and seafarers.  She is also the aunt of the university’s founder, The Most Reverend, James Roosevelt Bayley.  This image of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is from a medal designed for the Society of the Preservation of Setonia.  This design was made in advance of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s canonization which occurred in 1975.  This medal design, in addition to numerous other artifacts that illuminate the life and work of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton are currently on display in the Walsh Gallery exhibition “The Treasures of Seton Hall University.”  Her feast day is January 4.

Portrait of Saint Pope John XXIII
Portrait of Saint Pope John XXIII
20th century
2021.12.0001
Courtesy of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Newark

Saint Pope John XXIII is one of the most popular popes in the Roman Catholic Church.  He ushered in a new era by convening the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965), popularly known as Vatican II.  This council resulted in sweeping changes throughout the church to address the modern era.  Canonized by Pope Francis in April 2014, Saint Pope John XXIII’s feast day is October 11.  He is the patron saint of Papal delegates, the Patriarchy of Venice and the Second Vatican Council.[4]  Saint John XXIII was also the pope that beatified Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.  Beatification, a precursor to canonization or sainthood, is a declaration of blessedness.

Portrait of Saint Pope Paul VI
Portrait of Saint Pope Paul VI
mid to late 20th century
2021.11.0001
Courtesy of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Newark

Saint Pope Paul VI was the 262nd pope of the Roman Catholic Church, succeeding John XXIII as pope.  He also presided over Vatican II, closing the session in 1965 which resulted in numerous church reforms including the improvement of relations with the Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches.  Saint Pope Paul VI canonized Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1975.   He was in turn beatified and canonized by Pope Francis in 2014 and 2018, respectively.[5]  His feast day is May 29th.

Saint Martín de Porres canonization medal
Saint Martín de Porres canonization medal
1962
2021.01.0011
Gift of Peter Ahr

Saint Martín de Porres (1579 – 1639), a Peruvian born saint ,was associated with the Dominican Order.  He was known for caring for the sick, was trained in the healing arts and was also barber.  Though he was devoted to the church, at that time his lineage prevented him from taking his vows as the son of an unmarried Spanish nobleman and a mother that was a freed slave of African and Native descent.  Like Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, he founded orphanages and was devoted to the cause of education.  He is the patron saint of mixed race people, public health workers, public schools, public education, the poor, Peru, innkeepers and barbers as well as lottery winners, racial harmony and social justice.[6]  Today, his name graces numerous schools throughout the United States as well as a Catholic University in Lima, Peru.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha illustration
Anishinabe Enamiad with Saint Kateri Tekakwitha illustration
December 10, 1896 – vol. 1, no. 10
BX801 .A55
Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 – 1680), whose feast day falls on July 14th, is the first Native American saint recognized by the Catholic Church.  A layperson of Algonquin-Mohawk heritage, she was born in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon which sits on the banks of New York States’ Mohawk River.  She was the daughter of Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, and Kahenta, an Algonquin woman who had been captured in a raid, then taken into the Mohawk tribe.[7] In Saint Kateri Tekakwitha’s time, the Mohawks had considerable contact with other tribes, as well as European trappers, traders and missionaries.  A resulting  outbreak of smallpox took the lives of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha’s parents and brother.  She survived, but with lasting health implications.  At the age of 18, after meeting a Jesuit priest, she converted to Catholicism, dying just a few short years later at the age of 24.[8]    She was beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter’s Basilica October 21, 2012.[9] Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the patron saint of the environment, ecology, those who have lost their parents, people in exile and Native Americans.[10]

A mass in honor of All Saints Day will be held at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Seton Hall University at 11am on November 1.

The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers.  For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476

[1] https://www.catholic.org/saints/allsaints/  accessed 10/25/2021

[2] https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/01/world/all-saints-day-trnd/index.html accessed 10/25/2021

[3] https://www.britannica.com/story/roman-catholic-saints-hallowed-from-the-other-side accessed 10/23/2021

[4] https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=7305 accessed 10/26/2021

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_VI  accessed 10/25/2026

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_de_Porres  accessed 10/25/2021

[7] https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=154  accessed 10/26/2021

[8] https://www.kateri.org/our-patron-saint/  accessed 10/26/2021

[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateri_Tekakwitha  accessed 10/25/2021

[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateri_Tekakwitha  accessed 10/26/2021

New Finding Aids from the Archives and Special Collections Center: Spring 2013

As part of our efforts to describe all of our collections online, a number of new finding aids have been posted during the spring semester.

Collections from the Archdiocese of Newark that have had new finding aids posted include the papers of three auxiliary bishops, the records of several offices of the Archdiocese, and the records of some related organizations. Collections from University Archives include the papers of a number of past presidents of the University as well as the records of the College of Education and Human Services and the National Defense Language Institute. Manuscript collections include the papers of several important figures in University history as well as documentation on events in the Archdiocese.

The papers of three auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese, Bishop Justin J. McCarthy, Bishop Martin W. Stanton, and Bishop Joseph A. Francis, now have finding aids and catalog records. The Justin J. McCarthy papers, 1936-1959, ADN 0003.004, include the sermons and lecture notes of Bishop McCarthy, who was a graduate of Seton Hall College, Immaculate Conception Seminary, and the North American College in Rome, was the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange, and was a spiritual director of and professor of theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary in the 1930s-1950s. The Martin W. Stanton papers, 1957-1977 (bulk 1957-1961), ADN 0003.005, are the papers of Bishop Stanton, a New Jersey native who attended the Immaculate Conception Seminary and Fordham University, where he received his doctorate in sacred theology, and who attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council; the collection includes correspondence from Bishop Stanton’s time in Rome for the first session of Vatican 2 as well as correspondence on his ordination as bishop. The Joseph A. Francis papers, 1934-1997, ADN 0003.011, are the papers of Bishop Francis, the fourth African-American Roman Catholic bishop and the first ordained in the Northeast, and who was an important figure in discussions of race and religion in the United States; the papers include correspondence, writings, sermons and speeches, photographs, and awards.

Bishop Francis and James Earl Jones
Bishop Francis and James Earl Jones, in the Joseph A. Francis papers, 1934-1997, ADN 0003.011.

Several offices or former offices of the Archdiocese of Newark have generated collections which are now described in online finding aids and in the catalog. The Apostolic Nuncio records of the Archdiocese of Newark, 1950-2000 (bulk 1987-2000), ADN 0031 are the records gathered by the Archdiocese of Newark from communication with the Apostolic Nuncio, who is the top diplomatic representative of the Holy See to the United States and is usually the point of contact for American bishops and dioceses to the Vatican. This collection includes a variety of correspondence as well as materials related to the Rome and Vatican City Project Overview. The Mount Carmel Guild of the Archdiocese of Newark records, 1929-1974, bulk 1929-1937, ADN 0040, documents the activities of the Mount Carmel Guild, a division of the Associate Catholic Charities providing assistance to individuals and families in need that has since been absorbed into Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark; the collection includes materials related to the soup kitchen, ministry to individuals seeking American citizenship, ministry to the physically and mentally handicapped, and social justice work performed by the Guild. The Office of Research and Planning of the Archdiocese of Newark records, 1975-1989, ADN 0063, includes materials related to the work of the Office of Research and Planning, which defines Archdiocesan goals, develops and directs the overall short and long range plans and objectives of the Archdiocese, and develops programs to meet the needs of the Archdiocese. Projects documented in the collection include the merger of Associated Catholic Charities, the office of the Secretariat, Archdiocesan hospitals, ethnic studies, and team ministries. The Vicar for Religious of the Archdiocese of Newark records, 1930-1974 (bulk 1950-1960), ADN 0073, contain the records from the office of the Vicar for Religious, now known as the Delegate for Religious, who serves as the liaison between the Archbishop and members of religious orders in the Diocese; this collection primarily consists of correspondence between the Vicar and members of women’s religious communities on topics including contracts for teachers, ceremonies, canonization of Foundresses of orders, and other concerns.

Organizations related to the Archdiocese of Newark also have collections with new finding aids. The Legion of Decency of the Archdiocese of Newark records, 1954-1978, ADN 0055, are the records of the Legion of Decency, an organization dedicated to determining the moral content (objectionable or acceptable) of motion pictures in the United States, which  was later absorbed into the organization that became the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; the collection primarily consists of index cards with the titles of films and a rating given by the Legion, as well as some correspondence and documentation related to activities in Essex County. The Fratres in Unum newsletters, 1963-1969, ADN 0057 includes issues of Fratres in Unum, a newsletter created by priests of the Archdiocese for priests discussing social issues as well as local concerns. The à Kempis of New Jersey records, 1984-1997 (bulk 1991-1997), ADN 0082 include records for à Kempis of New Jersey, a women’s charitable organization that hosted speakers and raised money for charity.

The records of the first several Presidents of Seton Hall University have had new finding aids published this semester, including Bernard J. McQuaid, Michael A. Corrigan, James H. Corrigan,  Joseph Synott, John A. Stafford,  James F. Mooney, Thomas H. McLaughlin, Francis J. Monaghan,  James F. Kelley, John L. McNulty, and John Joseph Dougherty. The Office of the President and Chancellor records include the professional papers of these men as well as some personal items, and range in size and scope from the Office of the President of Seton Hall University: James H. Corrigan records, 1877-1888, SHU 0003.004 and the Office of the President of Seton Hall University: Joseph Synott records, 1898-1899, SHU 0003.006, each containing only two items, to the Office of the President of Seton Hall University: John Joseph Dougherty records, 1959-1969, SHU 0003.013, which is 11 linear feet of material from the President who oversaw a large expansion of facilities and the introduction of co-educational classes. The contents of the collections vary somewhat, from the Office of the President of Seton Hall University: Bernard J. McQuaid records, 1865-1866, SHU 0003.001, which consists entirely of correspondence to the first President of the University, to the Office of the President of Seton Hall University: John L. McNulty records, 1931-1970, SHU 0003.012, which includes everything from appointment books to speeches to legal files to personal files. The Office of the President of Seton Hall University: Michael A. Corrigan records, 1869-1873, SHU 0003.003, includes correspondence and bills from the man who left the position of President to become Bishop of New York. The Office of the President of Seton Hall University: Francis J. Monaghan records, 1932-1936, SHU 0003.010, Office of the President of Seton Hall University: James F. Kelley records, 1920-1995, SHU 0003.011, Office of the President of Seton Hall University: Thomas H. McLaughlin records, 1923-1946, SHU 0003.009, Office of the President of Seton Hall University: James F. Mooney records, 1900-1928, SHU 0003.008, and Office of the President of Seton Hall University: John A. Stafford records, 1889-1907, SHU 0003.007 all also document times of change and growth in the University and its community. Functions and policies of the University are also documented in the Office of the Associate Provost of Seton Hall University: Joseph Stetar records, 1984-1990, SHU 0005.007. In addition to records from administrative offices, the University Archives also holds the records for many individual schools, colleges, and departments, three of which had new finding aids published recently. The College of Education and Human Services of Seton Hall University records, 1956-2002 (bulk 1956-1977), SHU 0013, primarily consists of annual reports, curriculum guides, alumni event programs and information, surveys and reports on teacher certification, bulletins, and some photographs. The School of Health & Medical Sciences of Seton Hall University records, 1987-2000, SHU 0017, primarily documents conferences, budgets, development of programs within the department, and correspondence. The National Defense Language Institute at Seton Hall University reports, 1962-1974, SHU 0035, documents a non-current program that was run by the United States Armed Forces, partnered with colleges and universities, to teach military personnel (and later civilians) a variety of foreign languages.

The personal collections of several faculty and benefactors of Seton Hall University have recently been made available via new finding aids and catalog records. The William T. and Marie Henderson family papers, 1930-1989, Mss 0008, are the papers of William and Marie Henderson, who were very involved with the University and South Orange communities and who were generous benefactors of the school; the collection includes correspondence and materials documenting the couples’ involvement with various charitable organizations. The Rose Thering papers, 1944-2005, Mss 0016, are the personal and professional papers of Sr. Rose Thering, a sister of the Order of Saint Dominic,  professor at the Institute for Judeao-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, outspoken activist in favor of Judeao-Christian relations, and an instrumental figure in the creation of legislation in 1994 mandating that the Holocaust be taught in New Jersey schools; her work was also referenced in deliberations for the Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, a document adopted at the Second Vatican Council that reversed the Roman Catholic Church’s official position on relations with the Jewish religion and people. Her legacy is remembered in the Sister Rose Thering Fund, an endowment created to provide assistance to teachers in taking courses in Jewish-Christian Studies. The collection includes research materials, correspondence, photographs, and other materials. The Miriam Rooney papers, 1930-1965, Mss 0039, are the papers of Miriam Rooney, a lawyer, the first dean of the Seton Hall University Law School (making her the first female dean of a law school in the United States), and a professor of law; the collection includes letters from friends, a diary, photographs, and religious papers.

Portrait of Sister Rose
Portrait of Sister Rose, in the Rose Thering papers, 1944-2005, Mss 0016.

Two additional collections related to Catholic subjects in the New Jersey region have had finding aids posted this semester. The Collection on the Cause for Pierre Touissaint, 1991-2000, Mss 0036, was created from two separate donations to the Center regarding the cause for sainthood of Pierre Touissaint, who was born into slavery in 1766 in what is now Haiti and moved with his family and master to New York; the collection primarily consists of newspaper clippings describing the life and cause for sainthood of Pierre Toussaint, as well as photographs, correspondence, and mass cards related to Pierre Toussaint. The Collection on Pope John Paul II’s visits to the United States, 1979-1996 (bulk 1995), Mss 0044, documents the visit of Pope John Paul II to Newark and surrounding areas in 1995 through documents, memorabilia, photographs, and other materials, and refers to previous visits the Pope made to the United States.

All of these collections and many others are available for research at the Monsignor William Noe Field Archives and Special Collections Center Monday through Friday, 9-5. Please call ahead to make an appointment to view materials, or visit our web page for more information. Some materials are available online through our Digital Field Archives and Special Collections Center, and the number of digital items available any time continues to grow. Stay tuned for further developments and more fascinating materials from the Vault!