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What is a Plenary Indulgence?
When we sin and repent, we can be forgiven if we are truly sorry and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. However, even when we have been forgiven by God, the reality or consequences of our sin in our lives, and in the lives of others, remain. We have the duty to make up for this by penance; this is why the priest gives us a penance to do when we have been to Confession, usually a simple prayer or act of charity. An example I use with the children is: if I break a window, and apologise for breaking the window, and I am forgiven for breaking the window, the reality is there is still a broken window. Penance is the desire to make restitution - invariably spiritual, but sometimes practical or financial - for what we have done.

In a Plenary Indulgence the Church grants us the complete remission of all the penance due to God for our sins by invoking the merits of Christ Himself in His life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and applying His infinite mercy to us as a grace able to be received on significant moments in our lives or else important moments in the life of the Church. The Holy Year is one such momentous occasion. When, as a priest, I am called to the bedside of those who are dying or who are in danger of death, the Church has me grant them what is known as the Apostolic Pardon, giving our loved ones a Plenary Indulgence as death approaches so that the soul has every grace in this world to see God forever in the next.

What must I do to be sure to receive the Plenary Indulgence?
The Church asks of us three simple spiritual acts as part of receiving the Indulgence: first, to go to Confession. Second, to receive Holy Communion. Third, to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. These can all be made within a week and need not be done all at the same time. The additional requirements that Pope Francis has asked of us is one of the following - very beautiful - actions:

1. To make a Pilgrimage
The Holy Father encourages us to make a pilgrimage, if we are able. Rome may be a possibility; you may consider joining the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. The Pope insists that even if we cannot afford to participate or because of work or ill health cannot travel, there is the possibility to participate spiritually in a pilgrimage by uniting ourselves in the prayer as the pilgrimages begin and placing ourselves in our hearts in the place of pilgrimage, praying for our families and our friends.

2. To visit a Sacred Place
The Bishop has designated our Cathedral at Shrewsbury and the Diocesan Eucharistic Shrine at St Joseph, Stockport as our two Diocesan Holy Year Shrines for Pilgrimage. You might consider whether you could individually or as a family or as small groups in the parish, even undertake to visit Shrewsbury or Stockport for this special Holy Year.

3. Works of Mercy and Penance
This is, in my view, the great gift of the Holy Father in this Holy Year. The Pope writes that he wishes that one of the ways in which we can receive the Plenary Indulgence is through participating in catechesis on the sacred Scriptures and the Catechism, and moreover when we participate in whatever way in works of mercy that seek to care for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the naked, those without shelter. In our parish, then we have so many opportunities to receive the Plenary Indulgence through our four social projects, through volunteering in the SVP, through visiting the sick and housebound, through caring for our spouse or elderly relative or those who are infirm, and through coming to talks offered throughout the year to help us grow in our faith.

How often can I receive the Plenary Indulgence?
The Holy Father has graciously ensured that the Plenary Indulgence can be received as often as every day!

Can I ask God to grant the Plenary Indulgence to the Faithful Departed?
The Pope has also permitted that, in addition to our reception of the Plenary Indulgence, we can ask God to grant it instead, not to ourselves, but to those who have died. This, too can be received as often as every day!

What should I do now?
My suggestion would be:

1. Work out when you can next go to Confession. Make time before Confession to make a proper Examination of Conscience, reviewing your life and becoming conscious of any serious sin. When you come to Confession, tell the priest that you are making this Confession as part of wishing to receive the Holy Year Plenary Indulgence. Arrive at Confession early, so you’re there in good time. Remember, to receive the Indulgence, we must put aside sin and resolve to follow Christ. This has traditionally been phrased as to have a ‘complete detachment from sin’. We can pray for this and desire it, through God’s grace.

2. Following Confession, deliberately prepare to receive your next Holy Communion at the next Mass you can attend. Ask God to come into your heart anew and in a special way.

3. Pray for the Pope. The responsibility of shepherding the whole Church falls on his shoulders at this time in history. Traditionally, we pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the Holy Father. For the Holy Year, we are also asked to recite The Creed.

4. Be sure that you have participated in one of the three additional requirements for the
Indulgence: pilgrimage, visit to a sacred place, or a work or mercy or penance.

Once all of these are done, then you can be sure you have fulfilled the conditions. More than anything, the Church wants all of this not to be seen as mechanical but rather a step-by-step guide to repentance, conversion, grace, and a deeper love of God. For having been freed from sin and from the debt we owe to God through a Plenary Indulgence, how free our hearts will feel this Holy Year, that the Pope has made it so simple and so easy to receive as an act of mercy and celebration during this only every quarter-of-a-century opportunity for a Jubilee Indulgence.

Essential Prayers for the Holy Father’s Intentions

Our Father

Our Father
Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Hail, Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

If Applying The Indulgence to the Holy Souls

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

May their souls,
and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. Amen.