All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day, celebrated on November 1st in many Christian traditions, is a solemn occasion dedicated to honoring and remembering all the saints, known and unknown, who have lived virtuous lives. It serves as a day for reflection and gratitude. Learn more with this list of vocabulary related to all things saintly.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. angelic
    relating to spiritual beings attendant upon God
    In a shot taken when she was two, she adopts the angelic pose of the cherubs in Raphael's Sistine Madonna, resting on her forearms and gazing skyward.
    – Time
  2. asceticism
    self-denial, especially refraining from worldly pleasures
    Although his income was small, he had no taste for luxury—his experience in the monastery had solidified his natural asceticism while it developed his preference for solitude. The Bluest Eye
  3. beatification
    a formal declaration that someone is worthy of veneration
    Pope Benedict is coming to England in the autumn to, among other things, preside over the beatification of Cardinal Newman, the first stage to sainthood.
    – The Guardian
  4. blessing
    a ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection
    Small as they were, every single blessing the old monk had given him had come to pass. A Wish in the Dark
  5. canonize
    declare (a dead person) to be a saint
    When Mother Teresa is be canonized, no fewer than four countries will celebrate her as their own saint. MSNBC
  6. chastity
    abstaining from sexual relations
    In addition to the laws of chastity, poverty, and obedience required from the professed monk, he recognised the importance of labour not only for self-support but also as a duty towards God. Parry, Albert William
  7. compassion
    a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
    For an hour Mr. Shin uses Korean and English examples to talk about the compassion of God. A Step from Heaven
  8. confession
    the act of a penitent disclosing sinfulness before a priest
    Francie’s hands flew to cover her ears so that at confession she would not have to tell the priest that she had stood and listened to a bad word. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  9. consecration
    sanctification of something by dedicating it to God
    All the priests within ten miles round would be there for the consecration of the new church. The Untilled Field
  10. devotee
    an ardent follower and admirer
    There are holy shrines in different countries, which are held sacred by the devotees of different religions; but there are four chief holy cities—Rome, Jerusalem, Mecca, and Benares. Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)
  11. devotion
    religious zeal; the willingness to serve God
    She’s always loved the ritual: starting off the day with a devotion to God. Love, Hate & Other Filters
  12. disciple
    one who believes and helps spread the doctrine of another
    Although she did feel somewhat relieved because he had read Jesus’s farewell to his disciples, she was still concerned about the void between them. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith
  13. evangelist
    a preacher of the Christian gospel
    The Sending of the Twelve sets the standard for the church's evangelists and missionaries, just as the Breaking of the Bread in Galilee gives the model for its fraternal banquet. Bacon, Benjamin Wisner
  14. faith
    a strong belief in a divine power or powers
    Their faith in a living God would be strengthened, their faith in themselves would be renewed. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
  15. fast
    abstain from foods, as for religious or medical reasons
    The depression that comes with fasting and strict penance deepened as Lent drew to its completion. Bless Me, Ultima
  16. forgiveness
    compassionate feelings of mercy
    My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
  17. grace
    the free and unmerited favor or beneficence of God
    “I am thanking God today for His grace and mercy.” Betty Before X
  18. hagiography
    a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person
    Since the time of Christ, more than 20,000 men and women have been raised to the altars; and studying the lives of the saints, a discipline known as hagiography, is a lifelong endeavor. The Washington Times
  19. halo
    radiant light drawn around the head of a saint
    Divine light, for example, is sometimes indicated by golden rays, at other times by a halo or aura. History of Art, Volume 1
  20. holy
    belonging to or associated with a divine power
    It was the feast of the Epiphany, a holy day of obligation, so Papa did not go to work. Purple Hibiscus
  21. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    “Sister Elizabeth,” he said—and she would carry to the grave the memory of his grace and humility at that moment, “will you pray?” Go Tell It on the Mountain
  22. icon
    a visual representation produced on a surface
    Carved from olivewood, a little bigger than a shoe box, it had a tin lid perforated by tiny airholes and inset with the icon of an unrecognizable saint. Middlesex: A Novel
  23. intercession
    a prayer to God on behalf of another person
    "O Mary, Queen of Virgins, grant that by thy intercession we may deserve to be presented one day to the Most High in the Temple of His glory." Paul, Mother St.
  24. invocation
    a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service
    She breathed a prayer from the depths of her soul—a wordless invocation. When the Birds Begin to Sing
  25. martyr
    one who voluntarily suffers death
    Or else, it was: 'May I tell you about St. Theresa?' or 'St. Stephen, the first martyr—you know about him, don't you?' Huxley, Aldous
  26. miracle
    a marvelous event brought about by a divine being
    “Patron saint of lost causes. The saint to call on when all hope is gone. The one in charge of miracles.” I'll Give You the Sun
  27. missionary
    someone sent to a foreign country to spread a religion
    In Iceland, naturally by its position the last northern country to be Christianized, the missionaries seem to have been gentler, or, perhaps, they had less influence. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
  28. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    But this one time each May, on the day of San Isidro, who was the patron saint of all farmers, they opened the small adobe church in town. The Milagro Beanfield War
  29. penance
    a Catholic sacrament involving confession and atonement
    For your penance say three Hail Marys, three Our Fathers, and say a special prayer for me. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
  30. penitence
    remorse for your past conduct
    Lent is the season of penitence, the time of grief one must undergo before the joy of Easter comes. Ophelia
  31. perseverance
    persistent determination
    I feel as much belief in her as I do in God—I find faith in human perseverance, even as the universe throws challenge after challenge our way. Every Day
  32. piety
    righteousness by virtue of being religiously devout
    I admired their piety and envied the food the monks gave them in return for their devotions, but try as I might, after only a half hour of chanting, my mind wandered. Homeless Bird
  33. pilgrimage
    a journey to a sacred place
    The holiest pilgrimage of all was to Palestine, now Israel, where Jesus Christ lived and died. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village
  34. relic
    a body part or possession of a deceased holy person
    To one side of these candles were jeweled boxes, probably containing saintly relics. Crispin: The Cross of Lead
  35. reliquary
    a container where religious relics are stored or displayed
    Horn said in an interview before the announcement that the box is a reliquary, a container for holy relics, such as the bones of a saint. The Washington Post
  36. sacrament
    a formal religious ceremony conferring a specific grace
    As an eight-year-old Catholic, I learned the names and functions of all seven sacraments. Hunger of Memory
  37. saint
    a person who has died and has been canonized
    His father and mother and all the saints had taught him from his earliest childhood what was the will of God. Go Tell It on the Mountain
  38. salvation
    the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
    As Calvinists, the Pilgrims and the Puritans thought, although they could never be certain, that they were among the elected few their god had chosen for salvation. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States
  39. sanctity
    the quality of being holy
    And so we would sometimes hum melodies evoking the gentle waters of the Jordan River and the majestic sanctity of Jerusalem. Night
  40. spirituality
    concern with matters of the soul
    Helping the poor was part of his worldview, in which spirituality definitely played a part. Mountains Beyond Mountains
  41. theology
    the rational and systematic study of religion
    They spend a whole morning in Vincent's study looking over his schoolwork and talking about religion, theology, and God. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
  42. veneration
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    Dominick invented a novel arrangement of the chaplet, and dedicated it to the honor and glory of the Blessed Virgin, for whom he entertained a most especial veneration. Bolton, Sarah K.
  43. virtue
    the quality of doing what is right
    On the feast of All Saints, we honor those men and women who—whether they’ve been canonized or not—have led lives of heroic virtue that set an example for all Christians.
    – Loyola Press
  44. vow
    a solemn pledge to do something
    He remembers their vows spoken in front of God and everyone. The Sun Is Also a Star
  45. worship
    show devotion to, as a deity
    I thought about all the people who had sacrificed time, money, and energy to build the grand old church and to furnish it with everything they needed to worship God as a community. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement
Created on Thu Aug 03 15:02:38 EDT 2023 (updated Fri Oct 06 16:50:23 EDT 2023)

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