Should Catholics celebrate Halloween? In this Jolt of Faith, Father John explores the Christian roots of All Hallows’ Eve and how Catholic families can celebrate Halloween while keeping their faith at the center. From the tradition of visiting cemeteries to pray for the dead to the story behind the jack-o’-lantern, Halloween offers opportunities to reconnect with our Catholic faith. Father John reminds us that while some aspects of modern Halloween culture may not reflect our Christian values, we can be intentional about what we celebrate and what we teach our children. As we approach All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, let’s rediscover the meaning behind these traditions, remember those who have gone before us, and look for ways to bring the light of Christ into the darkness through acts of kindness and charity.

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So one of the questions I get all the time is “Father, as Catholics, should we be celebrating Halloween?” The answer, is that, yes, and no. Our current Halloween culture in 2026, in America, parents need to be careful. There are aspects of the occult and gore and things that they should protect their families from. But, the roots of Halloween actually are Christian. All Hallows Eve was the night before, All Saints Day where in many countries, people would go to cemeteries to pray for the dead. They would clean up family tombs, all those things that have Christian Roots. Again, in our current culture, some of those Christian Roots have been gone and are leading in the other direction. so parents need to be careful but Halloween does have Christian Roots that as Catholics we are called to recapture. One of my favorite stories, if you look into the history of Halloween is the jack o’lantern. We all know it’s part of the Halloween celebration but do we know it’s original meaning? Comes from Celtic. Irish lore about a man named Jack who was sentenced because he was so bad, he literally wandered the world. Once he died with just a pumpkin and a rotten piece of coal in it because he had never done one good kind deed for another person now while we know that’s fiction and we know that’s a myth. It’s a reminder that wet too are called to do good things. And even the jack o’lantern reminds us of a way we can live out our Christian Faith, by making sure we’re doing those good deeds that bring that light, even into the darkness. So parents don’t be afraid to celebrate Halloween, just limit the parts of Halloween, you celebrate. And make sure you share with your children that this secular holiday has Christian Roots. The night before, All Saints Day, we remember the dead because the next day we celebrate our brothers and sisters are with God in glory. And the day after that, those who are still waiting for their glory in purgatory. So Halloween connects to those two great feast days. We just have to take it back and recapture the Christian Roots for ourselves and for our families. Not a sermon, not a homily, which that little Jolt of Faith, we may need.