Book review: ‘All Hallows’ Eve’

At first, I thought this children’s book was about Halloween, with the typical ghosts, ghouls, bats and vampires. But it is not exactly that.

It is about the Catholic version of what Halloween is about. It also refers to Oct. 31 being All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween), Nov. 1 being All Saints’ Day and Nov. 2 being All Souls’ Day. This is known as “All Hallows’ Tide.”

As Anthony DeStefano said, the Catholic focus on these days are not on evil spirits, monsters and pagan or occult practices. Non-Christians have turned them into that, especially on All Hallows’ Eve. It has been turned into the devil’s day and some evil things happen.
    
This book is about purgatory told in an imaginative way, with similar events that have happened in history which several saints’ stories have verified over time.

Saints such as Saint Faustina, Saint John Macias, Saint Catherine of Genoa, Saint Gertrude the Great and others. Souls from purgatory have been given permission by God to appear to people to seek their prayers and good works to help them be released from purgatory.  

There are two books that discuss this, “Hungary souls” (2009) by Gerard J.M. Van Den Aardweg and “Souls from purgatory: true stories” (2026) by Father Carlo Rosignoli, S.J.

The first one I have read. The only neo-gothic church in Rome has a “museum” where objects that have been touched by souls from purgatory have left a branding mark like handprints. There is also a place in Poland that has objects like that, too. I write this to show that DeStefano has background for what he has written about.
    
DeStefano uses poetry to tell this story about four kids that have planned to go to a cemetery on Halloween night to possibly do Halloweenish things. They come across an elderly woman with a broom. She is not a witch. She is sweeping graves and cleaning them up.

This old lady tells a story about a girl and later a woman who was very self-centered. She had to have all kinds of material things at any cost to others. She was not concerned about anyone, but herself. She ended up having no friends.

The older lady talked about purgatory. The self-centered woman had a chance to change her life when an injured dove showed up. She took care of the dove and nursed it back to health. She was able to let the dove fly away. She began to change her life and when she died on Halloween, she went to purgatory instead of hell, with the requirement that she had to each year use a broom and sweep graves.

She walked away from the children and the children decided to help with cleaning the graves. While they were working, they came across a tombstone with the woman’s name on it. They realized she was a soul from purgatory. They began to pray for the woman and they decided to pray for her every All Souls’ Day.
    
The last two pages are addressed to those concerned about the content of the book that it might not be correct according to Catholic Church teaching. The author cites the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” and Scripture.

Erwin Madrid has done a great job with the illustrations – some that are close to the dark side, although appropriate, with the children and the woman in bright colors. The pages where heaven is talked about there are bright illustrations.

The book has several favorable reviews from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop John Barres, Bishop Joseph Coffey and other priests and Mike Aquilina. This book is highly recommended as a counter to the secular Halloween story and presents a reminder about purgatory and the Communion of Saints. 

Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

• DeStefano, Anthony. All Hallows’ Eve.  Illustrated by Erwin Madrid.  Manchester, N.H. : Sophia Institute Press, 2025. ISBN 979-8-88911-502-1.