Another Silly Newbie Question - Indulgences

[frfreddie]

I’m still hanging around and will finally meet with the church next week to begin my journey home. In the interim I’m trying to “fake it 'til I make it.”

I say the Rosary daily. The little book I got to learn how to do it says I’m granted a partial indulgence each time I say it. (It doesn’t know I’m not Catholic yet!) My question is simple. How can I “assign” these indulgences to someone else? I would like to “give” them to my great-grandfather who committed suicide late in the 19th century.

Is this possible? (I hope this isn’t too stupid.)

 

[AquinaSavio]

I’m still hanging around and will finally meet with the church next week to begin my journey home. In the interim I’m trying to “fake it 'til I make it.”

I say the Rosary daily. The little book I got to learn how to do it says I’m granted a partial indulgence each time I say it. (It doesn’t know I’m not Catholic yet!) My question is simple. How can I “assign” these indulgences to someone else? I would like to “give” them to my great-grandfather who committed suicide late in the 19th century.

Is this possible? (I hope this isn’t too stupid.)

It is possible. Just ask God to apply it to his soul, which is hopefully in Purgatory.

 

[LilyM]

I’m still hanging around and will finally meet with the church next week to begin my journey home. In the interim I’m trying to “fake it 'til I make it.”

I say the Rosary daily. The little book I got to learn how to do it says I’m granted a partial indulgence each time I say it. (It doesn’t know I’m not Catholic yet!) My question is simple. How can I “assign” these indulgences to someone else? I would like to “give” them to my great-grandfather who committed suicide late in the 19th century.

Is this possible? (I hope this isn’t too stupid.)

Absolutely! We can certainly earn indulgences on behalf of those in Purgatory. We can’t earn them for other living people though, because an indulgence depends on the state of grace or detachment from sin of the person receiving it. Which isn’t a worry for someone in Purgatory - they’re beyond losing their state of grace and beyond being attached to sin.