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During this month which is dedicated to the Holy Souls, remember to seek the special indulgences which the Church grants for the faithful departed during these first days of November each year.
A plenary indulgence, applied exclusively to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who:
1. On each single day, from the first to the eighth day in November, devoutly visit a cemetery and, even if only mentally, pray for the faithful departed (N.B. There is one plenary indulgence for each day, if the usual conditions are met).
On the commemoration day of All Souls (All Faithful Departed) - this year this is celebrated today here in the UK - piously visit a church or an oratory and there recite the Our Father and the Creed.
The usual conditions include: One plenary indulgence per day. To obtain it the faithful must: be in the state of grace; have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin; have sacramentally confessed their sins; have received Holy Communion; and have prayed for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. (Whilst it is appropriate for the sacramental Confession and Holy Communion to occur on the day of the prayers, it is sufficient for these to be made within around 20 days before or after the indulgenced act. One Confession suffices for several indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and prayers for the Holy Father's intentions are necessary for each indulgence).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: 'An 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 satisfaction of Christ and the saints... An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead' (CCC 1471). These special November indulgences are specifically for the faithful departed.Â
Eternal rest grant unto them dear Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, and may they rest in peace. Amen.       Â
