Principal Other Indulgences

The Stations of the nurturing City. The Stations at Rome are those sacred places distinguished by relics of the Saints, which the faithful are accustomed to visit for gaining the indulgences which are determined for the appointed days. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 9, 1777. The days are found in the Roman Missal. And Regulars who have the privilege that, by visiting the churches of their own Order, they may gain the indulgences of the Stations, acquire them on the aforesaid days noted in the Roman Missal, and not also on others. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, March 7, 1678. The indulgences of the Stations of the nurturing City are contained in the Rescript of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 9, 1777, February 28, 1827.

Portiuncula. This is a plenary indulgence which those who visit churches of the Order of St. Francis gain toties quoties on August 2, from first vespers, from noon, by praying for some time in them, confessing sins, and approaching Communion, although in other churches, and on the vigil, indeed even on July 31 and 30. This indulgence in the church of St. Mary of the Angels near Assisi is not suspended during the Jubilee of the holy year.

It was granted that Christ's faithful could gain this indulgence also in other churches. And the concessions made have been prolonged without a day. Likewise provision for new concessions, also without a day, is committed to the respective Ordinaries, who can also, in place of August 2, establish the Sunday next following for gaining the aforesaid indulgence. Holy Office, May 26, 1911; Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 3, p. 234.

Scapular. Those wearing the scapular of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel are piously believed to be preserved from eternal fire. Moreover they enjoy the Sabbatine privilege: that the Blessed Virgin frees those wearing it, on the Saturday after their death, from the punishments of Purgatory.

Soldiers can be aggregated to the confraternity of the Holy Scapular of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and gain its indulgences and graces, provided they impose upon themselves the aforesaid scapular already previously duly blessed, and also pour forth some prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pius X, January 4, 1908.

In place of a scapular, for gaining the respective indulgences, not excepting the Sabbatine privilege, there can be worn a medal of metal, around the neck or otherwise decently upon one's person. On the front side it must bear Our Lord Jesus Christ showing His Most Sacred Heart, and on the reverse the Blessed Virgin Mary. It must be blessed with as many distinct blessings as there are imposed scapulars, by a single sign of the cross, by any priest who has the respective ordinary or delegated faculty of blessing scapulars.

But it is not necessary that someone already be enrolled in the Scapulars; rather he can be enrolled afterwards. Also several medals can be blessed together, which the faithful have together in some assembly, by one sign of the cross, for each scapular. Holy Office, June 4, 1913.

Indulgences of Confraternities are acquired from the day of admission. Admissions to pious Confraternities made without the inscription of names and their transmission have been sanated. And His Holiness "declared that, while the obligation in conscience of inscribing and transmitting the names remains firm, according to the decrees and other prescriptions of the Holy See, the faithful, by the very fact that they are admitted by one legitimately deputed, are to be considered duly enrolled for this effect only: that they may be able to gain indulgences and become participants in other spiritual graces, even if their names, from whatever cause, have not been entered in the register of the sodality." Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, April 23, 1914; Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 6, p. 308.

Way of the Cross. The indulgences for the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross are those which someone would obtain if he personally visited the stations of the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem.

For acquiring the indulgences of the Way of the Cross, its legitimate erection is required, made by one having such faculty, either from the Holy See or from the Minister General of the Friars Minor. The aforesaid faculty must be given in writing for validity. The Friars Minor can erect them, namely either the superior of the place or another of his subjects by his commission.

Regularly it can be erected in churches and public or private oratories, and by special indult it can also be erected outside churches or oratories. The written consent of the pastor and of the superior of the church, religious house, or other pious place where the erection is to be made is required. But the consent of the pastor is not necessary if the place is exempt from him by law or in fact. Likewise the written consent of the Ordinary of the place is required for validity, unless it is a question of churches and houses of Regulars.

Fourteen crosses for the fourteen Stations are to be blessed, as is had in the Appendix of the Roman Ritual; and a document of the erection is to be drawn up and is to be preserved in the episcopal archive or in the archive of the place in which the erection was made.

According to the decrees of January 30, 1839, and November 23, 1878, the indulgences of this most holy exercise are annexed only to the crosses. Hence, according to the ancient and received practice, the crosses must stand out completely and conspicuously above the painted tablets. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, March 27, 1901, Congregation of Priests of the Heart of Jesus.

For gaining the indulgences, only this is required: to go from one station to another, meditating on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, insofar as this is possible from the multitude of the faithful and the narrowness of the place. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, February 20, 1841.

Those who are legitimately impeded from visiting the stations of the Way of the Cross can gain their indulgences by reciting fourteen Pater, Ave, and Gloria, and at the end five Pater, Ave, Gloria in memory of the Holy Wounds of Christ, and finally one Pater, Ave, and Gloria according to the mind of the Supreme Pontiff, while at the same time holding in the hand a Crucifix blessed by some Superior of the Friars Minor, or by another Priest who has obtained this special faculty from the Holy See. E.M.

Besides the indulgences which are acquired by going through the regularly erected Stations, or, when there is a just impediment, by shorter prayers before a Crucifix blessed by the Friars Minor, all other concessions are revoked, and by name those which regard the beads called beads of the Way of the Cross. Holy Office, July 24, 1912.

Crosses called "from Missions." By Decree of the Holy Office, August 13, 1913, all preceding Indults and Privileges having been revoked, uniform indulgences were established for Crosses which are called "from Missions." Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 5, p. 429.

Indulgences and privileges annexed to the Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Cf. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 6, p. 74 ff.

Apostolic Indulgences. The indulgences which the Supreme Pontiff is accustomed to annex to objects presented to him by the faithful are only those which are called Apostolic, and which are contained in the list edited by the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences. Holy Office, June 2, 1913; Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 5, p. 305.

The indulgences which His Holiness Our Lord Benedict XV imparts by the blessing of devotional objects. Cf. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 6, p. 503 ff.

Warnings. In order that someone may be able to gain the indulgences which the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XV imparts to all Christ's faithful of either sex who retain one of the beads, rosaries, crosses, crucifixes, small statues, and medals blessed by His Holiness, it is required:

1. That Christ's faithful wear on their own person one of the objects mentioned.

2. But if this is not done, it is required that they keep it in their own room, or in another decent place of their dwelling, and devoutly recite before it the prescribed prayers.

3. Printed images, painted images, and likewise crosses, crucifixes, small statues, and medals made of tin, lead, or any other fragile or consumable material, are excluded from the concession of the apostolic blessing.

4. Images must represent Saints who have either already been canonized in the customary form, or have been entered in duly approved martyrologies.

The indulgences which the Supreme Pontiff is accustomed to annex to various pious objects are only those which are enumerated in the list edited by the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, unless the Supreme Pontiff himself expressly declares otherwise. Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, June 12, 1913; Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 5, p. 305.

Plenary indulgence toties quoties on November 2. "On November 2 of any year, Christ's faithful, having confessed and been refreshed by Holy Communion, as often as they visit some church or public or semipublic oratory to give suffrage to the departed, and there pray according to the mind of the Supreme Pontiff, so often can gain a plenary indulgence, to profit only the souls subject to expiatory flames." Holy Office, June 25, 1914; Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 6, p. 378.

Apostolic Blessing in the article of death. The faculty of imparting the Apostolic Blessing, with a plenary indulgence in the article of death, is granted to all Bishops who request it. Bishops can subdelegate it to other Priests. It is to be imparted to all the sick who request it, even to children not yet admitted to First Communion, when they are constituted in danger of death.

The formula prescribed by Benedict XIV is to be used, and it is found in the Roman Ritual. It is necessary that the sick person have received the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist; but if this cannot be done, it suffices that, at least contrite in heart, he devoutly invoke the Name of Jesus, and receive death from the hand of the Lord with an even and willing soul.

The sick person does not gain this indulgence unless he is in the true article of death and consequently dies. Therefore this indulgence can be acquired only once and is to be given only once by the Priest, even if someone received it in the state of mortal sin or afterwards fell back into mortal sin. It will be enough that before death the aforesaid sick person duly fulfill the required conditions for gaining that indulgence. It can be repeated only if the sick person recovers and falls into a new danger of death. E.M.