All Souls and All Saints Indulgences

[YoungTradCath]

I thought it would be kind for the sake of the community to notify everyone of the All Souls and All Saints plenary (not partial) indulgences available.

Indulgence 1: From November 1-8, a plenary indulgence is granted for the souls in purgatory if you visit a cemetery and pray for those departed from us. You can also do this on other days of the year, but it will only be a partial, not plenary, indulgence.

Indulgence : On All Souls Day (Wednesday, November 2), a plenary indulgence is granted for the souls in purgatory if you visit a church and recite one Our Father and the Creed.

For the indulgences to be plenary, the following conditions must be met:

1. Sacramental confession.
2. A prayer for the intention of His Holiness the Pope must be recited for each indulgence. One prayer can be satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary, or by praying whatever else for His Holiness’s intention. And no, you don’t actually have to know His Holiness’s officially published intention.
3. Reception of the Eucharist.
4. You must be free from all sin, both mortal and venial.

If any of the numbered requirements are not met or if one is attached to even venial sin, then the indulgence is partial only. I suggest going to confession as soon as possible before mass, attending mass and receiving the Eucharist, and then doing the prayers for the intention of the Pope, and then doing the indulgenced act itself. This ensures that you get it done quickly, so you don’t fall inadvertently into venial sin and thus commute the indulgence to only partial instead of plenary.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Don’t you also have to be free from all attachment to sin for a plenary indulgence?

 

[CountrySteve]

can i gain atleast a partial indulgence since im not a member of the Church? just wondering. God bless

 

[YoungTradCath]

can i gain atleast a partial indulgence since im not a member of the Church? just wondering. God bless

I would think not.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Don’t you also have to be free from all attachment to sin for a plenary indulgence?

Yes. Amended.

 

[asd72]

Where are all the indulgences listed? Is there are source online?

Thanks

 

[JGMendes4049]

Where are all the indulgences listed? Is there are source online?

The Enchiridion of Indulgences.You can get it as a book, but here’s an online version.

 

[alwayslooking]

Just a question is the Enchiridion of Indulgences the same as the Manual of Indulgences put out by the USCCB?

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Don’t you also have to be free from all attachment to sin for a plenary indulgence?

How does one achieve this?

I have never understood the whole indulgence thing at all. I’m willing to perform the acts anyway, in spite of not understanding.

Do they have to be done in the correct order? Like, tomorrow’s plenary order might be:

1. Confession
2. Communion
3. Visit to cemetery
4. Prayers for the Pope and the dead

Or if I am not in sin currently, can I take communion tomorrow and do my usual Saturday confession?

I have to say, thinking back on all my sins, I will be lucky to make it to purgatory, no chance of going straight to heaven, that’s for sure…I have a lot of punishment to work off…

 

[YoungTradCath]

How does one achieve this?

I have never understood the whole indulgence thing at all. I’m willing to perform the acts anyway, in spite of not understanding.

Do they have to be done in the correct order? Like, tomorrow’s plenary order might be:

1. Confession
2. Communion
3. Visit to cemetery
4. Prayers for the Pope and the dead

Or if I am not in sin currently, can I take communion tomorrow and do my usual Saturday confession?

I have to say, thinking back on all my sins, I will be lucky to make it to purgatory, no chance of going straight to heaven, that’s for sure…I have a lot of punishment to work off…

There is no order. As long as you do the indulgenced act itself on the required day.

 

[JGMendes4049]

How long do you have to be free from attachment to sin?

 

[Chelsea111]

Are you kidding me? I’m in a slight state of shock. I have never heard of this in my life. I was under the impression that only God can release souls from purgatory. I don’t understand. If I can really do a few small acts every year and release one (or more?) souls from the agony of purgatory, why have I never heard of this? Why isn’t this broadcasted throughout the churches? Where is the Biblical grounding in this? I even went to Mass today–and the priest said nothing about this. Help?

 

[Vico]

How long do you have to be free from attachment to sin?

Since confession is integral (everything up to the moment) you have to be free from attachment to all sin of your entire life up to the moment of the grant of the indulgence (which could be before or after the confession since one completes the work, confession, prayer, and Communion at different times). (Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition, 1999, p. 18)

Norm 20: To gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to excluding all attachment to sin, even venial sin, it is necessary to perform the indulgenced work and fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff.

 

[Vico]

How does one achieve this?

I have never understood the whole indulgence thing at all. I’m willing to perform the acts anyway, in spite of not understanding.

Do they have to be done in the correct order? Like, tomorrow’s plenary order might be:

1. Confession
2. Communion
3. Visit to cemetery
4. Prayers for the Pope and the dead

Or if I am not in sin currently, can I take communion tomorrow and do my usual Saturday confession?

I have to say, thinking back on all my sins, I will be lucky to make it to purgatory, no chance of going straight to heaven, that’s for sure…I have a lot of punishment to work off…

The Vatican has stated that the confession may be about 20 days before or after completion of the other requirements (and one must be in the state of grace at the completion of all the requirements).

 

[YoungTradCath]

Are you kidding me? I’m in a slight state of shock. I have never heard of this in my life. I was under the impression that only God can release souls from purgatory. I don’t understand. If I can really do a few small acts every year and release one (or more?) souls from the agony of purgatory, why have I never heard of this? Why isn’t this broadcasted throughout the churches? Where is the Biblical grounding in this? I even went to Mass today–and the priest said nothing about this. Help?

Because it’s “unfashionable” and not “politically correct” to broadcast indulgences, since the selling of indulgences was one of the reasons for the Protestant reformation. Selling them is wrong, and the Church rebuked that act.

Indulgences are seen as a bit of a quiet joke in Catholic circles now. It’s one of those “old-timey” things that is commonly bashed with the “Vatican II says…” argument. They still exist, and people do do them, believe it or not. In fact, whenever the pope gives his apostolic blessing to someone, he grants them indulgence. Also, if you’re present to hear an Urbi et Orbi speech from the pope, you are granted indulgence. But they’re not as widespread as they used to be. It’s actually arguably quite hard in our modern society to gain a plenary indulgence. You really do have to preserve a perfectly saintly grace for it to be a plenary indulgence.

 

[Vico]

The Enchiridion of Indulgences.You can get it as a book, but here’s an online version.

The current version is the fourth, 1999, superceeding the previous three (1967, 1968, 1986).

vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20020826_enchiridion-indulgentiarum_lt.html

 

[Vico]

can i gain atleast a partial indulgence since im not a member of the Church? just wondering. God bless

A state of grace occurs at baptism, and after sacramental confession.

From the Norms on Indulgences (fourth edition 1999):

N. 17 - § 1 [30] To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in a state of grace at least at the end of the prescribed work.

§ 2 [31] order that the person who is capable gain them, ought to have at least the general intention of acquiring them and fulfill the enjoined works at the appointed time and in the manner, terms of the grant.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

What does a non-attachment to sin look like? I mean, how does one do this in practical terms?

I’m still very unclear as to how to accomplish the whole indulgence. I don’t know if I can, honestly. I might get a partial indulgence, but that “must not be attached to any sin” thing is boggling my mind. I am a VERY weak vessel.

To the poster who asked if we can “jail-break” the souls in Purgatory…No, it is always up to God to release the soul to Heaven. We can only assist by helping to pay their “sentence.” I heard about this when I was a very young child, pre-Vatican II. We always prayed for the souls in purgatory, in fact I think I had a holy card with a prayer on it. If we pray for them, when they attain heaven, they may pray for us.

Prayer is never, ever in vain. Even the tiniest prayer is heard by God.

 

[Chelsea111]

Because it’s “unfashionable” and not “politically correct” to broadcast indulgences, since the selling of indulgences was one of the reasons for the Protestant reformation. Selling them is wrong, and the Church rebuked that act.

Indulgences are seen as a bit of a quiet joke in Catholic circles now. It’s one of those “old-timey” things that is commonly bashed with the “Vatican II says…” argument. They still exist, and people do do them, believe it or not. In fact, whenever the pope gives his apostolic blessing to someone, he grants them indulgence. Also, if you’re present to hear an Urbi et Orbi speech from the pope, you are granted indulgence. But they’re not as widespread as they used to be. It’s actually arguably quite hard in our modern society to gain a plenary indulgence. You really do have to preserve a perfectly saintly grace for it to be a plenary indulgence.

It seems wrong to me that we could help people so much–but it’s not common knowledge. Maybe it’s because I’m only 17, but my mom hadn’t ever heard of this either, and she’s a pretty good Catholic.

So… is an indulgence simply remission of sin? What exactly does it mean when you say “people do do [indulgences]” and “if you’re present to hear… you are granted indulgence”?

 

[Chelsea111]

I just went and read the Enchiridion of Indulgences. I can’t quite wrap my mind around this. Since when has Catholocism been this formulaic? It seems that I could be gaining at least partial indulgences almost daily, if I tried really hard and went to mass and confession a lot. I guess that kind of makes sense to me…

The reason I’m struggling with this concept so much is that it’s completely changing my perception of purgatory. I’ve had countless discussions with my LDS friends about Baptisms for the Dead, and I’ve always said that after someone dies, the faithful on earth can pray, but that’s really all we can do. It’s between them and God. But how is the idea of a plenary indulgence so different? If Mormons are in good standing with their church, they can get a temple recommend and perform saving baptisms to get people into heaven–how is this so different?