Tuesday 27 October 2020

Helping the Holy Souls

During November, there are always additional opportunities to obtain plenary indulgences for the Holy Souls in purgatory by: (1) visiting a church on 2 November and praying the Our Father and Creed; (2) visiting a cemetery and praying for the faithful departed on any of the days between 1 and 8 November (it is possible to obtain an indulgence each day that this is done). As with all plenary indulgences, it is also necessary to go to confession, receive Holy Communion, pray for the Pope’s intentions and be detached from all sin.

This year, the Holy Father has made it easier to obtain these indulgences, in light of the global restrictions, as follows: (1) Any one day in November can be chosen to visit a church and pray the Our Father and Creed. (2) Any eight days (which do not need to be next to each other) may be chosen to visit a cemetery and pray for the faithful departed. It is also possible for this to be a ‘mental’ visit to a cemetery.

In addition:

The elderly, the sick and all those who for serious reasons cannot leave home, for example owing to restrictions imposed by the competent authority for the time of pandemic, in order to avoid numerous faithful crowding into sacred places, will be able to achieve the Plenary indulgence provided that, spiritually uniting with all the other faithful, completely detached from sin and with the intention of complying as soon as possible with the three usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the intentions of the Holy Father), in front of an image of Jesus or of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recite pious prayers for the dead, for example Lauds and Vespers of the Office of the Dead, the Marian Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, other prayers for the faithful departed, or occupy themselves in the prayerful reading of one of the Gospel passages proposed by the liturgy for the dead, or perform a work of mercy by offering up to God the pains and sufferings of their life.