Act of Family Consecration
A plenary indulgence is granted to the members of the family on the day on which it is first consecrated, if at all possible by a priest or deacon, to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus or to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, if they devoutly recite the duly approved prayer before an image of the Sacred Heart or the Holy Family; on the anniversary of the consecration, the indulgence will be partial. [Grant 1]
Why do we need indulgences; isn’t the saving work of Christ enough?
Christ opened the gates of heaven for us (which was closed to us when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and live their own way instead of being with God) ; that is Christ’s saving work. So yes, Christ did enough to save us. However, while heaven is now accessible to us, and while our sins are forgiven during baptism and confession, we still have to make restitution for our personal sins. All sins have two liabilities: guilt and punishment. Guilt is removed when we ask for forgiveness, which is the grace conferred by the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we confess our sins to a priest. However, even if we are forgiven, there is still the liability of punishment: we still need to make satisfaction for our sins whether it is in this life or the next. While forgiveness removes guilt, indulgences remove or lessen punishment. So, in a strict sense we don’t need indulgences in order to be saved, but they are there to help us reduce our temporal punishment should we want it.
Does gaining indulgence mean my sins are forgiven?
No. An indulgence is the total or partial removal of temporal punishment for sins that are already forgiven. This means Sacramental Confession is still the normal way to receive the forgiveness of sins. (Read more: CCC § 1471, Indulgentiarum Doctrina Norm 1)
What is the difference between confession and indulgences?
Confession removes sins; Indulgences don’t remove sin. Indulgences reduce or remove the temporal punishment due to sins that have been forgiven; Confession does not do that.
Can I gain enough indulgences so I don’t go to hell?
No, that’s not how indulgences work. We go to hell when we separate ourselves from God through mortal sin. The normal way of removing mortal sin is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indulgences, on the other hand, only remove the punishment due to sins you committed; it doesn’t forgive the sins. So even if you have gained plenty indulgences, if you die in the state of mortal sin, heaven is closed to you. (CCC § 1470) You can, however, gain enough indulgences so you don’t need to pass through purgatory.
Can anyone gain an indulgence?
No. One must be baptized to gain an indulgence. In addition to this, one must be in the state of grace, and must not be excommunicated.
Are there different types of indulgences?
There are two basic types: partial and plenary. A partial indulgence removes some of the punishments due to sin, while a plenary indulgence removes all punishments due to sin.
What do I need to gain an indulgence? Are there any conditions?
You can gain indulgences by performing “works” prescribed by the Church. Examples of these works are saying a prayer, making the sign of the cross, visiting a church, etc. They are outlined in Part 3 of this website. (Link)
You must be baptized, have the intention of receiving the indulgence, perform the work or prayer that will gain the indulgence, you should not excommunicated, and you should be in the state of grace before ending the prescribed work.
For plenary indulgences, aside from the above, one must also not have any attachment to sin – even venial sin, must go to confession, receive Holy Communion, and pray for the Pope’s intentions within the required time. (N17) The full process can be found here [link to section 3]
You must be baptized, have the intention of receiving the indulgence, perform the work or prayer that will gain the indulgence, you should not excommunicated, and you should be in the state of grace before ending the prescribed work.
For plenary indulgences, aside from the above, one must also not have any attachment to sin – even venial sin, must go to confession, receive Holy Communion, and pray for the Pope’s intentions within the required time. (N17) The full process can be found here [link to section 3]
How long before or after do I have to go to confession or communion to gain a plenary indulgence?
Current Church discipline allows up to twenty days to do sacramental confession before or after the prescribed act. (N5. The Gift of the Indulgence. Apostolic Penitentiary. 29 January 2000.) If you have a mortal sin, you of course have to go to confession first before receiving holy communion.
What if a person wants to gain an indulgence but cannot do so because of some physical or mental disability, or if the government has made it impossible to do so?
There are very special cases wherein an indulgence is gained in a different way for those who have some “legitimate impediment.” In Norm 24, it states, “Confessors can commute either the prescribed work or the conditions in favor of those for whom these are impossible because of a legitimate impediment.” It would be good to check with the bishop of your diocese of these extraordinary circumstances.
Can I apply an indulgence to someone else?
Yes. You can work for an indulgence for yourself or apply it to someone who has already passed away. We can apply it to someone else simply by having the intention of gaining the indulgence for someone how has already departed.
We don’t normally apply indulgences for other living people because they have the free will to gain indulgences if they wanted to. We also don't apply it to those already in heaven beacuse they have no need for it.
We don’t normally apply indulgences for other living people because they have the free will to gain indulgences if they wanted to. We also don't apply it to those already in heaven beacuse they have no need for it.
Can I accumulate indulgences?
For partial indulgences, you can gain as many as you work for. For plenary indulgences, however, you can only gain it only once a day. However, at the point of death, you may gain a plenary indulgence even if you have already worked for one earlier in the day. (N12)
If I want to gain a plenary indulgence everyday, does that mean I need to go to confession and communion every day?
Yes, you need to receive communion for every plenary indulgence you are working for. (You also need to pray for the Pope for every plenary indulgence you want to gain.) However, “a single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences.” (N20.2) So, no need to go to sacramental confession every day.
Since the Church allows us up to 20 days to go to confession before or after a prescribed act, you can go to confession at the same date every month (for example the 15th of every month). That way, if you want to gain a plenary indulgence every day, the confession covers the entire month.
Since the Church allows us up to 20 days to go to confession before or after a prescribed act, you can go to confession at the same date every month (for example the 15th of every month). That way, if you want to gain a plenary indulgence every day, the confession covers the entire month.
I just read that a lot of the things I’ve been doing apparently gain partial indulgences. Does that mean I’ve accumulated these indulgences all these time?
Unfortunately, no. One needs to have the intention to gain an indulgence when doing an act or saying a prayer. One cannot accidentally gain an indulgence without his or her knowledge.
Where can I get a full list and conditions for partial and plenary indulgences?
The most current universal list can be found in the 4th Edition of the Manual of Indulgences. [PDF link]
However, from time to time, indulgences are granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary on certain occasions or blessed objects – that cannot be found in the Manual of Indulgences.
A diocesan bishop may also grant partial indulgences within his diocese. So it might be good to check the indulgences granted of your diocese.
However, from time to time, indulgences are granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary on certain occasions or blessed objects – that cannot be found in the Manual of Indulgences.
A diocesan bishop may also grant partial indulgences within his diocese. So it might be good to check the indulgences granted of your diocese.
I find different versions of a list of indulgences; which is the most current, and does it supercede previous indulgences?
The most current universal list can be found in the 4th Edition of the Manual of Indulgences, 1999.
When compared to previous editions, the 4th Edition grouped several concessions so that it is more streamlined and organized.
There are, however, some provisions that update older concessions. For example, the Portiuncula Indulgence that once can be gained by visiting the Portiuncula Chapel in Assisi was extended to all Franciscan churches. Later it was extended to churches of the Capuchins, and others. In the 4th Edition of the Manual of Indulgences, one can gain an plenary indulgence when visiting minor basilicas, cathedrals, and parish churches on August 2 with the corresonding works.
When compared to previous editions, the 4th Edition grouped several concessions so that it is more streamlined and organized.
There are, however, some provisions that update older concessions. For example, the Portiuncula Indulgence that once can be gained by visiting the Portiuncula Chapel in Assisi was extended to all Franciscan churches. Later it was extended to churches of the Capuchins, and others. In the 4th Edition of the Manual of Indulgences, one can gain an plenary indulgence when visiting minor basilicas, cathedrals, and parish churches on August 2 with the corresonding works.
Why does obtaining indulgences depend on the “conditions” that man will do and not on God’s free decision to give it to us or to souls in purgatory? Why is it the Church that determine when or how to obtain indulgences?
The questions allude that God does not have a say if he wants or doesn’t want to give an indulgence, and instead humans can “summon” an indulgence by doing some work. That isn’t the case. When Christ gave Peter, the first Pope, the keys to the kingdom, (Matthew 16:19) Jesus conferred the position of Prime Minister to Peter. We read in Isaiah 22:15-25 that such a position exists in the Davidic Kingdom. It is a position that is next only to the king; whatever the Prime Minister decrees is ratified by the king as if it were the king who decreed it. Since Jesus is the king in a new and improved Davidic Kingdom, the position of Prime Minister exists in the Pope. The Church, then, through the authority of the Pope, can make laws as well as dispense spiritual gifts from the treasury of merits that Christ and the Saints have gained. So this answers both questions: since God gave authority to his Church through the Pope, when the Pope prescribes certain conditions on gaining indulgences, whatever he “looses on earth is loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) Short answer: God is in on this – it isn’t as if he is not part of the equation. He entrusted our care to the Church he himself founded.
For Catholics, if we believe the Church has the authority to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is a prerogative only God can do, then believing the Church has the authority to grant indulgences shouldn’t be an issue at all.
For Catholics, if we believe the Church has the authority to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is a prerogative only God can do, then believing the Church has the authority to grant indulgences shouldn’t be an issue at all.
Are indulgences valid during a pandemic when people are quarantined?
Technically, the pandemic should have no consequence on the validity of indulgences: they will work inside our outside of a pandemic. However, while gaining partial indulgences doesn’t change much under these conditions, it makes it almost impossible to gain a plenary indulgence because of the required sacramental confession and eucharistic communion.
Because of this, the Apostolic Penitentiary released new grants for Covid sufferers, and caregivers, as well as guidelines for the conditional gaining of plenary indulgences even if one cannot go to confession and receive communion with the condition of willing to fulfill these as soon as possible.
Find here:
The General Decree for Covid
Decree for Suffrage on November during Covid.
Because of this, the Apostolic Penitentiary released new grants for Covid sufferers, and caregivers, as well as guidelines for the conditional gaining of plenary indulgences even if one cannot go to confession and receive communion with the condition of willing to fulfill these as soon as possible.
Find here:
The General Decree for Covid
Decree for Suffrage on November during Covid.
If purgatory is a place where we are purified through suffering, why do we need indulgences? How can saying a prayer or visiting a church do what purgatory is supposed to do?
Every sin is an affront to God and therefore we must make reparation for it and we do this through some temporal suffering. Sometimes we die in the friendship of God, but have not paid for all the transgressions we’ve committed. In such a case, our final destiny is heaven, but we still must clean our slate of these debts we’ve incurred. Purgatory is the place to do that.
The Church, however, offers a way of paying for those debts by doing certain works through indulgences. We do a work that requires us to unselfishly give up some of our time that could have been used for relaxation or some legitimate pleasure, and instead use it to praise God or pray for others.
Just like any kingdom, the Church also has a treasury. However, it isn’t a chest of gold or precious gems, but an inexhaustible cache of merits earned by Christ, Mary, and the saints. Since the Church, through the Pope, has authority to “loose and bind,” it chooses to give merits to the faithful who, properly disposed, do certain prescribed acts. So in a sense it isn’t the actions of a person that makes indulgences possible, but the treasury of merits.
On the issue of indulgences and purgatory having the same effect, there is one difference: indulgences are performed while we are alive, suffering in purgatory is “performed” after we are alive. So indulgences give us the opportunity to make satisfaction so that we don’t have to suffer (much, or at all) in purgatory.
The Church, however, offers a way of paying for those debts by doing certain works through indulgences. We do a work that requires us to unselfishly give up some of our time that could have been used for relaxation or some legitimate pleasure, and instead use it to praise God or pray for others.
Just like any kingdom, the Church also has a treasury. However, it isn’t a chest of gold or precious gems, but an inexhaustible cache of merits earned by Christ, Mary, and the saints. Since the Church, through the Pope, has authority to “loose and bind,” it chooses to give merits to the faithful who, properly disposed, do certain prescribed acts. So in a sense it isn’t the actions of a person that makes indulgences possible, but the treasury of merits.
On the issue of indulgences and purgatory having the same effect, there is one difference: indulgences are performed while we are alive, suffering in purgatory is “performed” after we are alive. So indulgences give us the opportunity to make satisfaction so that we don’t have to suffer (much, or at all) in purgatory.
Some don’t believe in purgatory. They believe there are only two eternal destinies – heaven or hell (which is why they don’t pray for the dead using the rosary or gaining indulgences). What is the use of indulgences, in such a case?
It is correct to say that there are only two eternal destinies: heaven and hell. Technically, purgatory is not an eternal destiny – it is only a temporary cleansing point before going to heaven. At the end of time, when all humans will have been judged by Christ, purgatory will cease to exist because all those in purgatory will have gone to heaven.
For those who don’t believe in purgatory, then understandably indulgences have no place in the grand scheme of things. In fact, it becomes senseless. A Catholic, however, is required to believe in purgatory – which is part of the Communion of Saints we profess in the Creed every Sunday.
For those who don’t believe in purgatory, then understandably indulgences have no place in the grand scheme of things. In fact, it becomes senseless. A Catholic, however, is required to believe in purgatory – which is part of the Communion of Saints we profess in the Creed every Sunday.
How can I believe that indulgences are real?
If you believe that Christ saves us, then you believe in indulgences. This is because salvation was earned by Christ but applied to us in a prescribed action called baptism. Likewise, an indulgence comes from the treasury of merits that Christ, Mary, and the Saints have earned, and it is applied to us when we do a prescribed action.
In Rizal’s Noli me Tangere, it seems indulgences were only for the upper class. Is that true representation?
No, if it was characterized this way then it isn’t a faithful representation of the teachings on indulgences. On the contrary, indulgences are for all who want it; it doesn’t discriminate any race, social standing, or economic classes.
What is the relationship between the Deposit of Faith and Indulgence?
The Deposit of Faith is composed of Sacred Scriptures (the Bible) and Sacred Tradition (what we know) that is guarded and taught by the Magisterium. It is the faith handed down to us by the apostles through an unbroken line of bishops throughout history. One of the things that were handed down to us is to pray for the dead. It would be an erroneous and useless teaching if prayers cannot help the departed. So in a very real way, what we read and know in the deposit of faith supports the use of indulgences.
