Our friend Roman Sacristan has a good post on how to obtain a plenary indulgence today, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Last Sunday of Ordinary Time. You should check his blog, often.
Requirements for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence on Christ the King
– Public recitation of the prayer “Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer – Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King” (listed below)
– Say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for the intentions of the Pope
– Make a Sacramental Confession within a week of (before or after) the Feast of Christ the King
– Worthily receive Holy Communion (ideally on the Feast of Christ the King)
– that one be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.
Father Tim Finigan at the Hermaneutic of Continuity blog has a good entry on that last point:
Plenary indulgences not impossible
Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer – Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King
Most Sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before You. We are Yours, and Yours we wish to be; but to be more surely united with You, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Your Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known You; many, too, despising Your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Your Sacred Heart.
Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You; grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of Truth and the unity of Faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.
Grant, O Lord, to Your Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to It be glory and honor forever. Amen.
The “Technical” Stuff
“1. An indulgence is the remission in the eyes of God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose culpable element has already been taken away. The Christian faithful who are rightly disposed and observe the definite, prescribed conditions gain this remission through the effective assistance of the Church, which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively distributes and applies the treasury of the expiatory works of Christ and the Saints.”
– Handbook of Indulgences, Norms"20. 1. To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed works are completed.
2. Actually to gain indulgences the person must have at least the general intention of doing so and must perform the acts enjoined at the time stipulated and in the manner required according to the tenor of the grant."
– Handbook of Indulgences, Norms“23. 1. Besides the exclusion of all attachment to sin, even venial sin, the requirements for gaining a Plenary Indulgence are the performance of the indulgenced work and fulfillment of three conditions: Sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
2. Several Plenary Indulgences may be gained on the basis of a single Sacramental Confession; only one may be gained, however, on the basis of a single Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
3. The three conditions may be carried out several days preceding or following performance of the prescribed work. But it is more fitting that the Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the day the work is performed.
4. If a person is not fully disposed or if the prescribed work and the three mentioned conditions are not fulfilled, the Indulgence will only be partial …”
5. The condition requiring prayer for the Pope’s intentions is satisfied by reciting once the Our Father and Hail Mary for his intentions (Pater Noster and Ave Maria); nevertheless all the faithful have the option of reciting any other prayer suited to their own piety and devotion.”
– Handbook of Indulgences, NormsGrants:
#27. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who piously recite the above Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ the King, if it is recited publicly on the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ the King, and piously carry out the precepts in Norm #23 listed above.
– Handbook of Indulgences, Grants
Loading ...
What exactly constitutes “public recitation”? I don’t know of many parishes where the priest would lead the people in this prayer during or after Mass… :-(
Thank you for this information, Father. God bless!
Of course, the majority (my guess) of those on this blog celebrated the feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of October, the day it was originally established. (And said the more traditional, un-PC, consecration.)
Don’t forget too that it’s the year of St. Paul, during which you can obtain a plenary indulgence each day, simply by praying at a designated church for 1/2 hour, saying the Pauline prayer and fulfilling the other standard requirements for an indulgence.
Yes… the real feast of Christ the King was a month ago on Oct.26th…
I don’t think there was any such public prayer at our parish, either.
But, you know, there are several easy ways to get plenary indulgences. If you stick around with the little old ladies and say the rosary after Mass, you can get one. And, I think reading the Bible for 30 minutes works, too. Make a habit of doing that every Sunday and, assuming you do weekly confession, you’re on track for another…
However, a trip to a particular church in Rome or Lourdes or such does sound like fun and “there’s a plenary indulgence!” makes a good excuse for a holiday. :)
The first time I ever tried to gain one was when my husband and I went to Rome for our anniversary and we ascended the scala sancta. That was a wonderful experience.
“…the real feast of Christ the King was a month ago on Oct.26th”
Talk about living in a bubble! Let us just be thankful there are TWO feasts, and not talk about what is “real” or not. Laudetur Iesus Christus!
>>Don’t forget too that it’s the year of St. Paul, during which you can obtain a plenary indulgence each day, simply by praying at a designated church for 1/2 hour, saying the Pauline prayer and fulfilling the other standard requirements for an indulgence.<<
What is the Pauline Prayer? I’ve Googled it to no avail. Thanks in advance.
I think another easy plenary indulgence is praying “Behold O kind and gentle Jesus…” after Holy Communion with a Pater, Ave and Gloria Patri, along with the other usual conditions; only once a month, though.
What I wonder is if this plenary indulgence of Christ the King is applicable on the traditional day as well (last Sunday in October). I was at a TLM that Sunday, and I was at another this Sunday as well.
Geoffrey said: “What exactly constitutes “public recitation”? I don’t know of many parishes where the priest would lead the people in this prayer during or after Mass… :-(”
I’d say that praying the prayer out loud in Church would be enough for a “public recitation,” especially if your priest isn’t willing to lead it. Even in an empty Church there’s lots of Angels who will hear you (and pray with you).
Stephen said: “Yes… the real feast of Christ the King was a month ago on Oct.26th…”
I don’t think this is the thread to take pot shots at the liturgy. And if that’s keeping you from obtaining a plenary indulgence for a faithful departed soul, then I pray for mercy on you as well.
We had our annual Christ the King Procession today and when we processed back into the Church we prayed the prayer together with our priest.
The hardest part of obtaining a plenary indulgence is the requirement that one be free of attachment to sin, even venial sin. Most of us are attached to the things of the world. One saint who lacked such attachments was Blessed Miguel Pro, whose feast it is today. I was reminded of Fr. Miguel during this morning’s Divine Liturgy. Pray for us, Holy Martyr Miguel! Pray that we can free ourselves from attachments to sin. Pray that we may be saved from the wiles and wickedness of the Evil One!
Viva Cristo Rey!
http://salesianity.blogspot.com/2008/11/cristo-rey-blessed-miguel-agustin-pro.html
VIVA!
I was never quite clear on this: there are three requirements for receiving a plenary indulgence + whatever actions and prayers. Ok, that’s clear. How do partial indulgences work? I know that more than one can be received in a day. Are there any requirements aside from Baptism, &c? Also, can we perform actions designated for a plenary indulgence with the intention of receiving a partial instead? Thanks!
DK
I prayed the original prayer of consecration of the whole human race to Jesus Christ on the Feast of Christ the King on Oct. 26. Does that count towards the indulgence?
You have to remember that that the Pope originally put this feast on the last Sunday of October as a counter and a sign to the Protestants, since Reformation Day is Oct. 31, that Jesus is King over the whole world through His Church. That has been lost by placing it at the end of the liturgical year.
Hi Martin et al.
The Pauline Prayer is:
Glorious St. Paul
Most zealous Apostle,
Give us deep faith,
A steadfast hope,
A burning love for the Lord;
So that we can proclaim with you,
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ
Who lives in me.”
Help us to become apostles
Serving the Church with a pure heart, witnesses to her truth and beauty
Amidst the darkness of our days.
With you we praise God our Father:
“To him be the glory, in the Church
And in Christ now and forever.”
Amen.
I got this from an article in The Catholic Anchor:
Obtaining indulgences: Anchorage Archdiocese sets local requirements
Local church participates in universal Year of St. Paul
Last month, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz approved the local requirements that spell out how Catholics in the Anchorage Archdiocese can obtain a special plenary indulgence by participating in the celebration of the year of St. Paul.
Pope Benedict XVI declared the Pauline year, which runs from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009, to mark the approximately 2,000th anniversary of the saint’s birth.
In June, the Vatican announced that Catholics who actively participate in the celebration can receive a special plenary indulgence.
Catholic News Service reported that Pope Benedict XVI said the aim of the Pauline year was to “learn about St. Paul, to learn the faith, to learn about Christ, to learn the path of the righteous life.”
The pope said the evangelistic saint and apostle insisted that people keep foremost in their minds the ideals of truth, honor, justice, purity and excellence.
Indulgences explained
One of the most misunderstood parts of Catholic tradition is indulgences.
Because they deal with temporal punishment due to sin, time was always an important part of the indulgence. However, our concept of time is not the same as God’s. In order to clarify what has sometimes been very confusing, Pope Paul VI wrote an apostolic constitution entitled “Indulgentiarum doctrina.” In this document, the pope limited indulgences to partial and plenary. Thus an indulgence removes part or all of the punishment due to sin. Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead.
Sin has consequences, and while the sin may be forgiven, there may be a need to heal the consequences. The church has taught that we do that through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The church, through its “treasury of grace,” also wishes to make available to the faithful opportunities for a special grace. It does this through indulgences.
To gain an indulgence, one needs to perform certain works, pray for the intentions of the pope, celebrate the sacrament of penance and receive the Eucharist. Once these have been completed, the person receives the indulgence. As part of the Body of Christ the individual may apply the indulgence to their own life or as an act of charity pray that it be applied to the life of another. The other person may be living or dead.
According to a May 10 Vatican decree, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the granting of a plenary, or full, indulgence in order to highlight the Pauline year and open the way to the “interior purification” of the faithful.
The plenary indulgence is offered to pilgrims who come to Rome, as well as to Catholics who participate in local events connected to the jubilee year, and to those who may be too ill or otherwise prevented from physical participation.
In the Anchorage Archdiocese, Catholics can obtain the indulgence by praying for a half hour at one of the following sites: Holy Family Cathedral, St. Bernard Church in Talkeetna, the shrine at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the shrine at Cooper Landing, Holy Cross Church (which has a statue of St. Paul) or pray at the outdoor Stations of the Cross at Holy Spirit Retreat Center.
For those who cannot visit one of these location because of distance, the archdiocese is recommended they make an online visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
To visit this location online, go to http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
The Vatican Web site provides the history of the basilica as well as a virtual tour.
In addition to visiting one of the above locations, Catholics of the Anchorage Archdiocese must also read one letter of St. Paul as found in the New Testament.
Finally, they must also pray the following prayer to the Apostle Paul:
Glorious St. Paul
Most zealous Apostle,
Give us deep faith,
A steadfast hope,
A burning love for the Lord;
So that we can proclaim with you,
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ
Who lives in me.”
Help us to become apostles
Serving the Church with a pure heart, witnesses to her truth and beauty
Amidst the darkness of our days.
With you we praise God our Father:
“To him be the glory, in the Church
And in Christ now and forever.”
Amen.
Catholics who plan to visit Rome to obtain the indulgence, must fulfill the following requirements:
— Those visiting the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome in the form of a pilgrimage must offer personal prayers before the Altar of the Most Blessed Sacrament; they must also recite the Our Father and the Creed in front of the Altar of the Confession, adding invocations to honor Mary and St. Paul.
The decree said individuals can obtain more than one plenary indulgence during the jubilee year, but not more than one per day.
According to the Vatican, conditions for the special Pauline year indulgence include the normal requirements set by the church for all plenary indulgences: that the person goes to confession, receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the pope.
While not required for the indulgence, the Anchorage Archdiocese has recommended that Catholics also read books and other writings about St. Paul.
Some recommendations for reading include: “Paul in Fresh Perspective” by N.T. Wright; “St. Paul: Called to Conversion: A Seven Day Retreat” by Fr. Ron Witherup, S.S.; and “Paul: A Critical Life,” by Jerome Murphy-O’Connor.
— CNS and Anchor staff reports
God Bless,
LKS
All permanent indulgences appear at the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum. It can be found at the Vatican website, unfortunately only in Latin. There are several ones that can be won without need of long or costful trips.
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20020826_enchiridion-indulgentiarum_lt.html
Apart from those, many other ones are granted on special ocasions. You may find at least some of them at the Apostolic Penitentiary page at the Vatican website or at its own website
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/index.htm
http://www.penitenzieria.va/
Prosit
Regarding attachment to sin:
That condition is often overintepreted by the scrupulous. It refers to an unwillingness to renounce all sin. No more nor less.
Dainiel Kirland said: “How do partial indulgences work? I know that more than one can be received in a day. Are there any requirements aside from Baptism, &c? Also, can we perform actions designated for a plenary indulgence with the intention of receiving a partial instead? Thanks!”
Maybe this will help:
Partial Indulgences
I wish I’d known about this on Friday. I don’t have a computer at home so I didn’t see this until this morning. And God knows I can use all the help I can get.
God bless you, Roman Sacristan. Thank you!
Thank you for posting this Father.