The excesses of Halloween....

....increase each year.

Friday's Daily Telegraph carried a report that the multi national stores and major employers are censoring (good word that) all Halloween costumery that might cause offence.

We all know what that means. No more wild eyed arab masks, no more "gay" outfits and no more butch gear for the....you know who types.

Standard Halloween costume....
.....who cares about offending Catholics?

But, believe me, that censorship will not include any mad monk outfits or saucy nun habits.

Commercial censorship is only concerned with giving offence to Muslims, Homosexuals and Lesbians (and the in-betweeners).

I know of one parish where the priest has made valiant efforts to encourage parents to revive Halloween as a Catholic event where the children dress up as their favourite saints.

No interest from the parish.

Not ghoulish enough, not zombie enough, too "holy" and we mustn't have that!

But, if you do wish to hold a Halloween party, and why not? you can do it with a Catholic (and original) theme.

Here is how one commentator and friend (Mommymayhem) and her family celebrate All Saints' Eve......

Thank you GM.

How to have a Catholic Hallowe'en

Halloween is not a festival of ghouls and witches and horrible corpses with blood coming from their nostrils, although, you might be forgiven for thinking so when you walk around the stores and see the weird mix of costumes and masks on sale.

                                Cut a cross shape in your pumpkin and leave Freddy K to RIP

What are we thinking of? We howl and scream at Jimmy Savile's alleged abuses of young girls and then we shove our children out on to the streets to trick or treat or to some macabre party. Ugh!

Hallowe'en is really All Hallows Eve as I am sure all readers of this blog know too well.

It is All Holy Eve, the night before we celebrate one of the great feasts of the Church, All Saints' Day.

So dress the little dears up as saints, have plenty of fun by all means (though adults might wish to fast and do penance in readiness for the following Feastday), eat sausages round the fire and cut potatoes into halos, stars and crosses - that's all good, clean fun.

Thanks to Gail for the picture.