Students and their fathers celebrated the annual All Saints’ Day Mass together Nov. 1. Senior Maria Rojas introduced Día de los Muertos and helped construct a traditional altar outside of the gym.

“It is important to have parents and guardians there at Mass with us to remember the saints with the community,” Campus Minister Stephanie Pino-Dressman said.

All Saints’ Day is a holy day of obligation for Catholics which means they are required to attend Mass. It is a day to remember and honor all those who have gone to heaven, according to Catholic.org.

“November is a time in the Catholic church where we reflect on those who have gone before us,” Pino-Dressman said. “We reflect on their actions and how we are all going to die.”

Students were asked to invite their fathers, grandfathers or another special guest to join them. Senior Catherine Henne brought her father, Ryan Henne, and grandfather, Michael Siragusa, to the Mass.

“We have come every year,” Henne said. “It has become a tradition for us.”

Fathers of seniors were asked to stand during the Mass to honor them. It was Ryan’s seventh and final time attending since both of his daughters will have graduated by next year.

“It was sad that it was my last time,” Ryan said. “Everything is winding down.”

Holding the annual Father-Daughter Mass on All Saints’ Day has been a tradition for many years. Pino-Dressman believes that it is an important opportunity for the school to gather as a community and remember those who have gone before us.

“It builds community,” Pino-Dressman said. “It fuels connections and builds empathy.”