Plenary Indulgences This Week!

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

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

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

O Mary, crowned with stars, who hast the moon for thy footstool and who sittest enthroned above all the choirs of angels, incline thine eyes toward this vale of tears, and hear the voice of one who puts all his hope and trust in thee. Amen.

From the Raccolta

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

Standing Mother

At the Foot of the Cross

O all you who walk by on the road

Attend and see

If there be any sorrow

Like my sorrow

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These tragic words are part of a prayer. Bouguereau’s dramatic painting “Pieta,” from 1876, is the perfect companion to these words. Receiving her son’s body into her arms, was the 6th of Our Lady’s 7 Sorrows, the swords which pierced her Immaculate Heart. We pay respect to these sorrows on the 15th of the month, exactly one month after the feast of the Assumption.

As if this was not enough, her heart continues to be grieved by our many sins and the 5 offenses represented by the 5 First Saturdays Devotion, given by Our Lady of Fatima. This devotion helps secure reparation to her Immaculate Heart.

We are celebrating 3 months in a row dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary. August honored the Immaculate Heart, we now honor her Sorrowful Heart and next month, we renew our devotion to her Holy Rosary, given to Saint Dominic. We can meditate on how these 3 months are linked together and in fact, inseparable. Let us take the next week to pray on and contemplate this (feel free to email me with any thoughts).

Here are the traditional Roman Catholic feasts of September: calefactory.org

Image from Cathy Weisbecker at Pinterest, colors have been muted.

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

Fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love!

10 days after Ascension Thursday, the first Sunday of June, we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost or Whitsunday.  Many pray a novena between Ascension and Pentecost.  These 9 days actually were the origin of the novena itself.  It is wonderful to continue these Catholic traditions and teach them to the younger generation.

The first Marian feast of June is the new feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, which is always the day after Pentecost.  Let us commend Holy Church in all our difficulties to Our Lady at this time.  2 days later, we begin the Ember Days of Pentecost (or Summer).  These are days of prayer and penance for the coming season.  As things are heating up in the world on all fronts, prayer and penance is desperately needed.  The Ember Days also present an opportunity to teach children Catholic tradition in a fun way, incorporating crafts, artwork, etc.  This month gives us 4 Doctors of the Church:  Saint Ephrem of Syria, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Basil the Great and Saint Cyril of Alexandria.  One week after Pentecost, we have Trinity Sunday, when we celebrate all 3 Persons of the Most Holy Trinity.

Not only do we honor Our Lord’s Sacred Heart in June, we also honor His Body in the feasts of Corpus Christi (trad) and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (new).  On the 24th, we celebrate the Sacred Heart and on the 25th, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  So intimate are these 2 Hearts, that they cannot be separated.  (Keep in mind, the feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity, so no Friday penance is required.)  How may we reciprocate the incomprehensible love which emanates from the Sacred Heart of Jesus this month?  We may consider beginning the Nine First Fridays Devotion, given to Saint Margaret Mary by Our Lord Himself.  We may also consider making a good confession, contemplating how we have failed to love others adequately…or come up with your own ideas as a family!

In the age of chastisement upon us, let us flee to the Sacred Heart of Our Blessed Lord in all our sufferings and needs…

 “Most sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thee, eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.”

From Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart prayer.

And let us never lose hope, for Our Lady of Fatima has promised an era of peace to come…

“Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm.  Give peace and order to all nations and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:  Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation.  To It be glory and honor forever!”

From Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, by Pope Pius XI.

But more importantly, Heaven is our true home where we will reside in eternal happiness with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Here is the traditional calendar for the month of June:  https://calefactory.org/calendar

Image from https://sahe.hwcdsb.ca

Prayer Request

One of our readers, Fr. Stephen, has asked for prayer for his special intentions. Let us keep him in prayer and let us recite the “Salve Regina” for him right now:

Hail Holy Queen

Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve

To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears

Turn then, most gracious Advocate

Thine eyes of mercy toward us

And after this, our exile

Show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus

O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary

Pray for us O holy Mother of God

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Amen

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Regina, Mater misericordiae

Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve

Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Hevae

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

In hac lacrimarum valle

Eia ergo, Advocata nostra

Illos tuos misericordes oculos

Ad nos converte

Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui

Nobis, post hoc exsilium ostende

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis

Virgo Maria

Amen

Please feel free to contact us (button above) with any prayer intentions.

May is the Month of Our Lady

O Mary, powerful Virgin, thou art the mighty and glorious protector of the Church. Thou art the marvelous help of Christians. Thou art terrible as an army in battle array. Thou alone hast destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anguish, our struggles and our distress, defend us from the power of the enemy, and at the hour of our death, receive our souls in paradise. Amen.

From The Raccolta

In this first week of May, the month dedicated to Our Lady, let us contemplate the extraordinary painting above, which is based on the Miraculous Medal.*  She seems to be lovingly gazing down upon the world as she crushes the head of the serpent with her bare foot.  Usually, we see this image with Our Lady standing upon the earth (or the firmament).  It is her children’s enemy she defeats.  She has a look of complete peace and as the rays of grace emanate from her hands, this battle seems effortless for her.  Satan, with all his wiles and powerful minions below, is no match for this simple woman from Nazareth.  What a humiliating demise as the angels look on.  A demise which awaits all those who serve him on earth.  We must trust, as we look at the corruption of the world and the ever-growing human rights abuses, that God has got this.  As we say at the outset of every Tridentine Mass…

“Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me­?  Hope in God, for I will still give praise to Him, the salvation of my countenance and my God.”

Above the Queen of Heaven’s head are the other elements of the Miraculous Medal (the 12 stars on the back of the medal do not seem to be in the painting):  the Cross above her initial, the 2 Hearts and a prayer which she has herself said is one of her favorites…

“O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!”

Saint Catherine Laboure was the nun who received the Miraculous Medal from Our Lady.  Her incorrupt body lies at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, where she received 3 visions in the year 1830 (this year is also on the front of the medal).  Pope John Paul II visited the chapel in 1980 and spoke this prayer…

"You watch over the Church for you are its Mother. You watch over each of your children. From God, you obtain for us, all graces that are symbolized by the rays of light which radiate from your open hands, and the only condition that you demand of us is that we approach with the confidence…and the simplicity of a child. And it is thus that you bring us before your Divine Son."

What does all of this mean for us?  It means our Heavenly Father has given us a great advocate to help us through anything life and this crazy world might throw at us.  When we are confused, depressed or anxious, we have only to appeal to her motherly love for us.  For if her Son loved us so much that He died for us, how could she reject us?  As the words of the “Memorare” say…

“I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins”

In this month of May, there are many ways we can give honor to the Mother of God…because she is our Mediatrix, she participated in our salvation by saying “Yes” to God, and also suffered terribly in witnessing the Passion of her Son.  Perhaps we could renew our devotion to the Miraculous Medal, learning more about it and the life of Saint Catherine Laboure.  May would also be a most appropriate month to begin the “Communion of Reparation 5 First Saturdays,” associated with Fatima.  If your local parish does not provide this devotion, think about meeting with your pastor to establish it!

May also gives us 3 Marian feasts:  Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th, The Visitation and Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, both on the 31st.  Mother’s Day is the 8th…how about a Rosary for your mother (2 birds with one stone!).

Some other feasts this month:  ASCENSION OF THE LORD, Minor Rogation Days…Doctors of the Church:  Saints Athanasius (the earliest Doctor), Gregory Nazianzen and Bede the Venerable…Saint Isidore the Farmer!

For the (trad) rest of May, here you go: calefactory.org

*  Sorry, I don’t know who the artist is.  Can anyone tell me?

Some feasts mentioned are in the new calendar.  Image from fineartamerica.com

Saint Joseph the Workman

I recently came across this prayer to Saint Joseph in a church bulletin. I was unfamiliar with it and thought it was so beautiful. It speaks to our times and the challenges we are all faced with. Perhaps it should start with some prayer to Our Lady (during this month of May!), since the first line indicates that we have sought her help…

To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by His Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence. O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from Heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness. As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven.

Amen.

Saint Joseph the Workman, pray for us!

Saint Joseph, we pray for all those seeking employment, that they may find work soon, that is useful, but also apart from the corruption of the world. Amen.

My Brother John

Only 2 days after I asked for prayers on the Feast of the Annunciation, my dear brother John passed to the Lord. He had a long and very courageous battle with cancer. He was a writer, like myself, but far more successful. John passed on the joyful Laetare Sunday on the traditional feast of Saint John Damascene, a Doctor of the Church and another writer named John! My brother was 71, a number of years older than me.

I appreciate the prayers of our readers and would ask for continued prayer for the repose of John’s soul and his loved ones who remain in grief…especially for my mother, who is now 90 and was only 18 when he was born. Thank you so much.

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Lord, hear my prayer.

And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray:

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the soul of Thy servant departed, John, the remission of all his sins, that by our devout supplications he may obtain that pardon which he has always desired. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace. Amen.

Based on De Profundis

Epiphany Blessing of the Home

Today is the Feast of Our Lord’s Epiphany in the old calendar and also a non-standard feast of the 3 Magi. Following is a home blessing, which originated in eastern Europe and has spread throughout the world, even to Protestant churches. Just as the Wise Men visited the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we invite them to visit our own homes to ask for their intercession. This is important as we are living in an increasingly hostile world. It is also a wonderful way to show our children trust in Christ and the riches of the Holy Catholic Faith!

It’s okay if you can’t get to this tonight! The traditional “Cycle of Christmas” ends roughly with the Feast of the Presentation (Purification, “Candelmas”), February 2nd. Any time till then would be appropriate.

Here is a video of 2 priests at a Canadian parish, performing the blessing…

A House Blessing For the Epiphany

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Epiphany Yearly Blessing of the Home

You will need white chalk (chalk is often blessed by a priest at the Epiphany Mass) and holy water. The following prayers and format are based on traditional sources of information. The family gathers around a statue or holy image. All bless themselves with holy water. Generally, the father of the home leads in the following prayers…

Leader: Peace be to this house.

All: And to all that dwell herein.

Leader: From the east the Magi came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord, and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia!

All: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He Who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

All: From the east the Magi came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord, and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia!

Leader: 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…

All: But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Leader: Many shall come from Saba.

All: Bearing gold and incense.

Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come unto thee.

Leader: Let us pray. O God, Who by the guidance of a star didst this day reveal Thy Sole-Begotten Son to the Gentiles, grant that we who now know Thee by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of Thy Heavenly Majesty. Through the same Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Be enlightened, be enlightened O Jerusalem! For thy Light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy Light and kings in the splendor of thy rising and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord, Almighty God, this home that it be the shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, and thanksgiving to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. May this blessing remain for all time upon this dwelling and upon all who live herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The family proceeds to the main entrance of the home. The leader writes the following above the door with the chalk (this can be done on the outside or inside of the home). The digits represent the number of the new year. The crosses represent the 4 seasons. The initials represent the Latin phrase “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” (Christ Bless this Home). They also represent the names of the 3 Magi. Above the inscription, a cross is made with holy water.

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20 + C + M + B + __

Leader: Christus Mansionem Benedicat! Saints Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, pray for us!

All: Amen!

The family may finish the devotion with a hymn, such as “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”

Printable Version PDF

November is the Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory-Part II

“Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.”

When combining Holy Church’s old and new calendars, we see the following features for the month of November…

The month has begun in the midst of the Triduum of Death, reminding us of the brevity of this life and the glory which awaits the Children of God. I recall hearing the following lyrics in early childhood-I think it made some impression on me:

“O when the saints go marching in, When the saints go marching in

O Lord I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in”

What a wonderful month that begins contemplating the Church Triumphant and ends in expectation of the Birth of Our Savior!

The Triduum concludes with All Souls Day, reminding us that for most, there will be a cleansing of suffering. Therefore, this month is dedicated to the souls still undergoing this suffering, the Church Penitent, with special indulgences given. We celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church, 2 of whom are called “great.” We have another saint honored with this title, Saint Gertrude the Great. She was given this title by Pope Benedict XIV to distinguish her from her abbess superior, another Saint Gertrude. We can presume this pope found her mystical writings to be worthy of this title. Gertrude the Great is also invoked for the holy souls, whom she was dedicated to-it is fitting that her feast is in November. On the 21st in the new calendar, we honor Christ, King of the Universe. We celebrated Christ the King on October 31st in the old. Let us be the Church Militant, showing our acknowledgment of Christ’s rule over us, won by His Blood, at this critical moment in history. On the same day, we have Our Lady’s Presentation as an infant, not to be confused with her Purification (or Our Lord’s Presentation).

Here are some notable feasts for the remainder of this month and below is a follow-up from the previous post on Holy Souls devotions…

10-Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church, Author The Tome

13-St. Frances “Mother” Cabrini, Founder Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 20th Century Saint

15-St. Albert the Great, Doctor of the Church, Patron of scientists, Author On Cleaving to God

16-St. Gertrude the Great

18-Dedication of Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul

21-CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE / PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

22-St. Cecilia, Patroness of music

23-St. Felicitas, Martyr, invoked in Canon of Mass

24-St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, Author Dark Night of the Soul

28-First Sunday of Advent

30-St. Andrew, Apostle

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Vatican Extends Traditional…Indulgences

From the above article…

“Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience, said the indulgences traditionally obtained [for departed souls] during the first week of November [11/1-8] can be gained throughout the entire month of November…Indulgences are granted when a Catholic visits a cemetery to pray for the dead, goes to confession, attends Mass and receives the Eucharist and prays for the intentions of the Pope.”

What the article left out about the obtaining of a plenary indulgence: one must be in a state of grace when the indulgenced act is performed, must be detached from sin and must perform all criteria within 20 days before or after.

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Amen.

The above Holy Hour was taken from the most recent edition of…

benedictus: the traditional catholic companion

This monthly booklet is published by Sophia Institute Press and is a wonderful Catholic guide and missal for the Tridentine Mass. The page above contains glowing comments by the likes of Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Vigano, Bishop Schneider and Bishop Strickland. (So you know its good.) My only beef with it, as a sustainability proponent, is that it uses too much paper, as the entire mass (quite conveniently) is repeated for each Sunday. This was my husband’s idea to subscribe, after hearing about it online. In spite of all the tree destruction, I am starting to really like my Benedictus and rely on it. Each one comes with a beautiful prayer card which can be used as a bookmark, and the price is only $5.00 a month! Please see the above link for further details.

As for the Holy Hour above, it is not indicated what the source is. It seems to be an opening prayer for an hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament. I suppose the rest of the hour could be performed in silent meditation or organized prayer. I am not aware of an indulgence attached to it, though there may be. It is quite beautiful. I was not able to find it elsewhere on the internet. If you would like a good copy or the source, please contact Sophia Institute Press.

In addition to Benedictus, this company publishes all sorts of other things, including a very interesting series of catechetical documents from antiquity…

tradivox: catholic catechism index

From the website…

“From as early as the 9th century, scores of faithful priests, bishops, popes, saints, and Church councils have published succinct, reliable summaries of Catholic doctrine: catechisms…Now, for the first time ever, dozens of historic catechisms are being unearthed and painstakingly restored. They are being reformatted for publication and presented to you in this gorgeous 20-volume, cross-indexed collection. The catechisms of several Popes and Church Councils are included; such as the world-renowned Catechism of the Council of Trent, those of the Synods of Maynooth and Baltimore, and the catechism of Pope St. Pius X. Here also are those classical handbooks of Catholic doctrine authored by the great Saints and Doctors of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Peter Canisius, and St. Robert Bellarmine. The many historical catechisms of Catholic doctrine featured in this series include both titles that are well known, as well as some that have not been printed or read in centuries. Originating from regions as diverse as Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and North America, the many catechisms contained in this series demonstrate the remarkable universality of the Catholic Faith as never before.”

Well, they’ve got me sold. That’s why I just bought the first 4 volumes and subscribed to the series, at $25.00 every 3 months. I always say as a prepper, you can never have enough good, hardcover Catholic books. Who knows how long these will be available in the current climate?

Wishing you blessings in this month of November and the coming Season of Advent.