ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

A Plenary Indulgence for the Bicentennial Year

During the year of Jubilee celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the establishment of the Church in Philadelphia as a Diocese, the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, at the request of Cardinal Justin Rigali, has granted a Plenary Indulgence to the faithful of the Archdiocese who participate in designated events, pilgrimages, or pious visits during the year-long observance of the Bicentennial.

What is an Indulgence?

An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment for sins (Norm 1, Indulgentiarum Doctrina). In the Sacrament of Penance sins are forgiven and the eternal punishment due to sin, namely the eternal loss of the presence of God, is remitted. However, sin also has a temporal dimension which disrupts our relationship with God, with the Church, and with others. The temporal effects or consequences of our sins cause suffering for ourselves as well as harm to others hurt by our sins. Those who have received sacramental forgiveness for their sins may still have to undergo a process of purification to have these disrupted relationships restored. This necessary purification can take place either in this life, or in Purgatory in the case of those whose purification is not completed by the time of death.

By means of an indulgence, God grants that, through the prayer of the Church, the temporal punishment due to the sins of an individual is reduced (by a partial indulgence) or is eliminated entirely (by a plenary indulgence). The granting of an indulgence by the Church is the expression of the Church’s full confidenceof being heard by the Father when -- in view of the merits of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and by His gift, and the prayers of Our Lady and the Saints-- the Church asks Him to mitigate or cancel the painful aspect of punishment due to sin through other channels of grace (Pope John Paul II, General Audience, September 29, 1999).

How Can I Obtain a
Plenary Indulgence During the
Bicentennial Year of Jubilee?

A Plenary Indulgence is granted by participating in any event, pilgrimage, or visit under these conditions: one must go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, either on the day of the event or within several days before or after it. The Plenary Indulgence may be obtained by the faithful for themselves or may be applied to the dead by way of suffrage (Norm 3, Indulgentiarum Doctrina).

The Church’s longstanding tradition of granting and obtaining indulgences inspires within us a spirit of reparation for our sins and a desire to live more virtuously as Christian disciples. “In receiving indulgences, we should not think that we have earned them. Our efforts express our openness to receiving God’s mercy. As a result, we grow closer to Jesus and so are able to reap the benefit of His salvation” (USCCB, 2007 Bulletin Insert, Indulgences and Our Spiritual Life).

A Plenary Indulgence may be obtained by the faithful of the Archdiocese who are properly disposed and fulfill the three above-mentioned conditions and who participate in any of the following events during the year-long observance of the Bicentennial of the establishment of the Diocese:

• Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 2007

• Special Youth Event and Mass at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary on
September 29, 2007

• Bicentennial celebrations taking place in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul or in some sacred place within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia presided over by the Cardinal Archbishop, or his designee.

• A pilgrimage to the Cathedral Basilica, the Shrine of Saint John Neumann, or the Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel, which includes a solemn communal celebration.

• The closing Mass of the Bicentennial Year to be held at Villanova Pavilion on April 13, 2008

A Plenary Indulgence may also be obtained by individuals or groups who, fulfilling the three above-mentioned conditions, make a pious visit to the Cathedral Basilica, the Shrine of Saint John Neumann, or the Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel where they spend some time in holy meditation and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed and a Marian Prayer.

The elderly, infirm and all who for a legitimate reason cannot leave their homes, may obtain a Plenary Indulgence, provided they have a strong desire to turn away from sin and the intention of fulfilling, as soon as they are able, the three above-mentioned conditions, and provided that with a prayerful heart, uniting themselves with those who take part in an event or pilgrimage, they devoutly recite the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, and a Marian prayer before an image of our Lord or the Blessed Virgin Mary.

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