Indulgences

Can. 992 An indulgence is the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

Partial or Total (Plenary) Indulgence

Can. 993 An indulgence is partial or plenary insofar as it Partially or totally frees from the temporal punishment due to sins.

1. Receive Penance and have complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

2. Receive Holy Communion

3. Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father

4. Complete the action prescribed by the Church (see ACTS drop-down below)

   A person must:

   a. Be baptized

   b. Intend to obtain the indulgence.

   c. There is no time limit prescribed for fulfilling the conditions because it may be difficult for someone to get them all in; however a week is the general rule.

   MANUAL OF INDULGENCE PDF

The “Big Four” Daily Plenary Indulgences (available all the time, not just the Jubilee Year)

• Pious reading of Sacred Scripture (1/2 hour)

• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (1/2 hour)

• Recitation of the Holy Rosary in a group

• Praying the stations of the Cross

  Note* you must make your intention to gain the plenary indulgence prior to the act. for example, I am ( praying this Rosary, Adoring the Blessed Sacrament, Reading this Scripture, Praying the Stations of the Cross) to gain this Indulgence for myself or deceased loved one.
  
  

On May 13, 2024, The Apostolic Penitentiary issued a document outlining the Plenary Indulgences attached to the Jubilee Year beginning Christmas Eve 2024

The indulgences in the document are plenary.

A novelty in the document is that you can obtain two indulgences in one day. The second can be applied for a soul in Purgatory if you go to Mass and receive communion a second time and apply that indulgence for the Holy Soul. (Canon 917)

Catholics who make a pilgrimage to Rome during the 2025 Jubilee Year can obtain a plenary indulgence by visiting at least one of the four major papal basilicas; St. Peter’s Basilica, the arch basilica of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, or St. Paul Outside the Walls

In addition, an indulgence can be obtained by spending time in prayer in several other churches in Rome:

• Rome’s Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem

• Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls

• Basilica of St. Sebastian

• Sanctuary of Divine Love (the “Divino Amore”)

• Church of the Holy Spirit in Sassia

• Church of St. Paul at Tre Fontane (the site of St. Paul’s Martyrdom)

• The Roman Catacombs

Pilgrimage to Churches in Rome Associated with Great Female Saints

• Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (tomb of St. Catherine of Siena)

• St. Brigid at Campo de’ Fiori (St. Brigid of Sweden)

• Santa Maria della Vittoria (St. Teresa of Avila)

• Trinita dei Monti (St. Therese of Liseux)

• Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastervere (St. Cecilia)

• Basilica of Sant’ Augustio in Campo Marzio (St. Monica)

The jubilee year is a time when Catholics are especially encouraged to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Apostolic Penitentiary lists visiting prisoners, spending time with lonely elderly people, aiding the sick or disabled, and helping those who are in need as instances to obtain an indulgence. Practicing the works of mercy, it says, is “in a sense making a pilgrimage to Christ present in them.”

Indulgences for works of mercy can be received multiple times throughout the jubilee year, even daily, according to the decree.

If the indulgence is being applied to the deceased, 2 plenary indulgences can be obtained on the same day.

The Decree says: “Despite the rule that only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day, the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased.”

FAST, DEFEND LIFE, VOLUNTEER

Acts of penance can also obtain a plenary indulgence. The Vatican lists several options, including:

• Abstaining for at least one day a week from “futile distractions,” such a social media or television

• Fasting

• Donating “ a proportionate sum of money to the poor

• Supporting religious of social works, especially in the defense of life in all phases

• Offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, young people in difficulty, and abandoned children

• Volunteering in service to your community

“The jubilee plenary indulgence can also be obtained through initiatives that put into practice, in a concrete and generous way, the spirit of penance which is, in a sense, the soul of the jubilee,” the decree states.

Catholics can also gain a plenary indulgence by making a pious pilgrimage to their cathedral or to another church or shrine selected by the local bishop.

The Apostolic Penitentiary asks bishops to “take into account the needs of the faithful as well as the opportunity to reinforce the concept of pilgrimage with all its symbolic significance, so as to manifest the great need for conversion and reconciliation.”

Vatican II Formation of Visit Specific Basilicas

Catholics can get a jubilee indulgence “if with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father.”

In addition to the churches already listed, other sacred places around the world have also been designated as places of pilgrimage where one can obtain a plenary indulgence:

In Italy:

• Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

• Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels In Assisi

• Basilica of our Lady of Loreto

• Basilica of Our Lady of Pompeii

• Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua

  In the Holy Land:

• Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

• Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem

• Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

• Blessed Sacrament Cathedral

• Basilica of St. Anne’s Detroit

• Blessed Solanas Casey Detroit

• Shrine of St. Joseph Detroit

• Shrine of St. John Paul II Detroit

• Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Pontiac

• National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak

• Shrine of Jesus, the Divine Mercy, Clinton Twp

• Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield

• Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Riverview

• Madonna University, Livonia

• Our Lady of Hope Cemetery, Brownstown