Episode 49 - Rebel Saints — Bonus Episode
Did you know that Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead between November 1 and November 8?
In this special Rebel Saints bonus episode, Nicole explains what a plenary indulgence is, how it relates to Catholic teaching on purgatory, and exactly what you need to do to participate.
With All Saints Day and All Souls Day approaching, here's a simple guide to a centuries-old Catholic tradition of praying for the faithful departed.
How to Obtain a Plenary Indulgence: November 1–8
To obtain a plenary indulgence applicable to the souls in purgatory:
Visit a cemetery between November 1 and November 8 and pray for the deceased, aloud or silently.
Go to sacramental confession, generally within about 20 days before or after your cemetery visit. One confession can suffice for several indulgences.
Receive Holy Communion. A separate Communion is required for each plenary indulgence.
Pray for the pope's intentions. An Our Father and Hail Mary are customary. This prayer must be offered for each indulgence.
Be in a state of grace and free from attachment to sin, including venial sin.
The Church recommends receiving Communion and praying for the pope's intentions on the day of your cemetery visit, although the usual norms allow some flexibility.
You may obtain one plenary indulgence per day, meaning there are eight opportunities during November 1–8.
An Additional Opportunity on All Souls Day
On November 2, Catholics may also obtain a plenary indulgence for the deceased by visiting a church or oratory and praying the Our Father and the Creed, while fulfilling the usual conditions. The limit of one plenary indulgence per day still applies.
The Eternal Rest Prayer
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.
Learn More
Coming up on Rebel Saints: Our three-part Allhallowtide series explores All Hallows' Eve (October 31), All Saints Day (November 1), and All Souls Day (November 2).
TRANSCRIPT
A Special Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory: November 1–8
Rebel Saints Podcast | Bonus Episode
Hey Rebels! Welcome back to Rebel Saints. I'm Nicole Olea, and I've got a short bonus episode for you today because there's a Catholic tradition coming up in November that I want to make sure you know about.
Every year, from November 1 through November 8, the Catholic Church grants a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory to Catholics who visit a cemetery and pray for the dead.
You can do this on any of those eight days, and you can do it more than once. There are some additional requirements, which I'll walk you through in a minute.
But first, I want to mention that I've also got a special three-part Allhallowtide series coming up here on Rebel Saints.
We'll begin on October 31 with All Hallows' Eve, followed by All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. We'll explore the Catholic traditions surrounding these three days, what the Church teaches about death and eternal life, and how Halloween became part of the celebration.
Make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss those episodes.
What Is a Plenary Indulgence?
In the meantime, let's talk about indulgences, because I think this is something a lot of Catholics have heard of without necessarily understanding how they work.
When we go to confession, God forgives our sins. But even after we've been forgiven, there can still be consequences from those sins, including habits and attachments that need to be healed.
The Church teaches that this remaining need for purification is connected to something called temporal punishment. That purification can take place during our lives here on earth or, for those who die in God's friendship but still need purification, in purgatory.
An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to sins that have already been forgiven. The Church grants indulgences through the spiritual treasury of Christ and the saints.
There are two kinds of indulgences: partial and plenary. A partial indulgence removes part of the temporal punishment due to forgiven sins, while a plenary indulgence removes all of it.
Catholics can obtain indulgences for themselves or offer them on behalf of the deceased. The cemetery indulgence we're talking about today is specifically for the souls in purgatory.
How to Obtain a Plenary Indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory
So, what do you actually have to do?
First, visit a cemetery sometime between November 1 and November 8. It can be any cemetery. You don't have to know anyone buried there, and you don't need to visit a particular grave.
While you're there, pray for the dead. You can pray aloud or silently, and there's no required length of time.
You could say the Eternal Rest prayer:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Along with your visit and prayer, the Church requires several other conditions to obtain a plenary indulgence.
Sacramental Confession
You'll need to go to confession and be in a state of grace. The Church generally allows confession about 20 days before or after your cemetery visit.
One confession can fulfill this requirement for several plenary indulgences, so you don't need to go to confession every single day.
Holy Communion
You'll also need to receive Holy Communion. If you're seeking a plenary indulgence on more than one day, you'll need a separate reception of Communion for each indulgence.
Prayers for the Pope's Intentions
You'll also need to pray for the pope's intentions. Traditionally, Catholics pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary, although another prayer may be used.
A separate prayer for the pope's intentions is required for each plenary indulgence.
The Church recommends receiving Communion and praying for the pope's intentions on the same day you visit the cemetery, although there's some flexibility in the timing.
You can visit the cemetery, pray for the dead, and receive Communion and pray for the pope's intentions at another permitted time. Personally, I wouldn't put it off too long, because life gets busy!
What Does Detachment From Sin Mean?
To obtain a plenary indulgence, the Church also requires complete detachment from sin, including venial sin.
That means sincerely rejecting sin and wanting to turn away from it, even those sins we've become comfortable with or have a difficult time giving up.
It doesn't mean you have to be perfect or that you're promising you'll never sin again. It does mean approaching this with a genuine desire for conversion.
If that detachment isn't complete, or the other conditions for a plenary indulgence aren't fulfilled, an indulgence may still be partial.
You can ordinarily obtain one plenary indulgence per day. So, if you visit a cemetery and fulfill the conditions on each of those eight days, you have the opportunity to obtain eight plenary indulgences for the deceased.
A Special Indulgence on All Souls Day, November 2
There's also another opportunity on All Souls Day itself, November 2.
On that day, Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence for the dead by visiting a church or oratory and praying an Our Father and the Creed.
The usual conditions concerning confession, Communion, prayer for the pope's intentions, and detachment from sin all still apply.
And remember, the general limit is one plenary indulgence per day. So you wouldn't obtain two simply by visiting both a church and a cemetery on November 2.
All Souls Day is an important day in the Catholic calendar, and many parishes celebrate special Masses for the faithful departed. Although it isn't a holy day of obligation in the United States, attending Mass that day is a wonderful way to pray for those who have died.
Praying for the Faithful Departed
I realize that's quite a few requirements to remember, so I'll put them all in the show notes along with the Eternal Rest prayer, so you can refer back to them.
I'll probably also share more information on my Substack, Letters for the Restless Heart.
If you have a cemetery nearby, please consider visiting sometime during those first eight days of November. A lot of churches even have cemeteries right on their campuses.
You can go to the grave of someone you love, or simply walk through the cemetery and pray for the people buried there.
I really love that the Church gives us this opportunity to pray for people we may never have known. And it's a good reminder that our prayers for the people who have died don't have to end with the funeral.
Thank you for joining me for this bonus episode. I'll be back with lots more content this week as we continue Spooky Season and begin our three-part Allhallowtide series.
Until then, this is Rebel Saints. It's a podcast for restless hearts called to be saints.
Restless heart, you are welcome here.
