Presidential Message on All Saints’ Day

On All Saints’ Day, I join Christians across our Nation in honoring the men and women through the centuries whose extraordinary lives of faithfulness reveal the great goodness and love to which human beings can aspire.

Every generation of Americans has understood the profound power of the example of a heroic and holy life, which is why the names of saints are so interwoven throughout the American landscape. We have San Francisco, California, named for Saint Francis of Assisi; San Antonio, Texas, named for Saint Anthony of Padua; St. Louis, Missouri, named for a saintly king of France; and St. Paul, Minnesota, named for the great Apostle. From Santa Monica, California, to St. Augustine, Florida, saints greet us on maps and road signs across the country.

Saints are just as present in the institutions we know and trust. Families turn to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital when a child is gravely ill. Young Americans study at Saint John’s University, Saint Louis University, Saint Bonaventure University, and many other colleges and universities named for saints. Every March, millions of Americans celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with parades, music, and the wearing of green.

Even our professional sports carry this legacy. When New Orleans received its National Football League franchise on November 1, 1966, the date was no accident: It was All Saints’ Day. A local businessman championed the name “Saints,” inspired by the city’s celebrated jazz anthem, “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

In the United States, we especially honor Saint Junípero Serra, who carried the Christian faith through the missions of California; Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who helped build Catholic education in America; Saint Katharine Drexel, who devoted her fortune and her life to educating and serving poor and impoverished communities; and Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who established schools, orphanages, and hospitals, putting Christian charity into action and bringing the hope of Jesus to those most in need. Countless other saints—parents, teachers, nurses, workers, missionaries, and neighbors whose names history never recorded—quietly showed what holiness can look like in ordinary life.

All Saints’ Day proclaims a truth at the heart of the Christian faith: Death does not have the final word. Christians believe that through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the grave has been conquered and eternal life has been opened to all who believe in Him. The saints are witnesses to that promise. We honor them not merely as heroes of the past but also as signs of the hope that extends to every human life and reaches beyond our earthly existence.