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PLENARY INDULGENCE

 

 A plenary indulgence is a “remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

 

 The requirements that must be met to gain a plenary indulgence are:

1. Must be Catholic and in a state of grace,

2. Must have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

3. Must have confessed our sins through the sacrament of confession (not just in our heart) , within 20 days before or after the indulgence date;

4. Must receive Holy Communion;

5. Must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.

 

 Here is a partial list of prayers/devotions we can offer in order to obtain a plenary indulgence:

1. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least 30 minutes

2. Reading of Sacred Scripture in a reverent manner for at least 30 minutes

3. Recitation of 5 decades of the Rosary

4. Pious Exercise of the Stations of the Cross

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PARTIAL INDULGENCE

 

 If we do not completely fulfill the requirements to earn a plenary indulgence as mentioned above, we can then gain a partial indulgence.

 

 Here is a partial list of prayers and devotions we can offer to earn a partial indulgence:

1. Angelus

2. Anima Christi

3. Creed (Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)

4. Hail Holy Queen

5. Memororae

6. Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven)

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 We can receive or offer an unlimited number of partial indulgences is any given day.

 

 It is important to remember that we need to mention our intention of receiving an indulgence before carrying out the practice.  If however, throughout the day, one carries out several practices united to partial indulgences, it suffices to formulate a single general intention.  Therefore, if you wish to have your partial indulgences all apply to the souls in Purgatory, just remember to mention that at the beginning of each day.

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