In the New Testament, all those who believe and were baptized were referred to as saints. It wasn’t until around the 3rd century that we started using the word to refer to those martyred for the faith. Today we use the term in its original sense—to describe the faithful and talk about “the communion of saints” to describe all the faithful who have gone before us together with all the living who walk in faith. As we celebrate the saints, we give thanks for all the faithful — those living and those who have gone before us. Please join Church of the Good Shepherd in Brentwood for this holy and ancient celebration!