The indulgence, Pope Francis writes, is a Jubilee grace which allows us to discover how limitless God's mercy is.
You may have heard that the Jubilee Year of Hope, now under way, offers the opportunity for the faithful to obtain a special plenary indulgence, a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. One way is to make a pilgrimage. You can visit a designated church in Rome, or, closer to home, a sacred site designated by the bishop of your diocese.
Indulgence and mercy
The indulgence, Pope Francis writes, is "a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy. Not by chance, for the ancients, the terms ‘mercy’ and ‘indulgence’ were interchangeable, as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds" (Spes non confundit, 23).
The Indulgence, therefore, is a Jubilee grace, intended for us but also for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Here in western Massachusetts, our Bishop, the Most Rev. William Byrne of the Diocese of Springfield, issued a decree (see below) making the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy “a sacred place-pilgrimage site” for the duration of the Jubilee Year, concluding on Holy Family Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025.
How to obtain the Jubilee indulgence
To obtain the Jubilee indulgence, the decree (posted below) specifies different conditions for those on a formal organized pilgrimage, and those who are casual "pious visitors" to the National Shrine.
For those on a formal organized pilgrimage, the decree states that the indulgence may be obtained:
... by devoutly participating in Holy Mass; a ritual Mass for the conferral of the sacraments of Christian Initiation or the Anointing of the Sick; or any of the following: a celebration of the Word of God; the Liturgy of the Hours; the Via Crucis; the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the recitation of the Akathist hymn, or a penitential service that ends with the individual Confessions.
In other words, as a formal pilgrimage group, attend Holy Mass (Monday-Saturday at 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 9:00 and10:30 a.m., and 2:00 p.m.), pray the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary, or recite the Akathist hymn.
For more casual pious visitors, whether individually or in a group, the decree states that the indulgence may be obtained by:
for a suitable period of time, engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Lord's Prayer, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form as well as invocations to Mary, the Mother of God, so that in this Holy Year everyone "will come to know the closeness of Mary, the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children" (Spes non confundit, 24).
The invocations to Our Lady could be a Hail Mary prayer or a Rosary.
In both cases, to obtain the Jubilee plenary indulgence, the usual conditions apply: detachment from all sin, sacramental Confession (20 days before or after), Holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Since Holy Communion is a requirement to obtain a plenary indulgence, visitors to the Shrine who are not on a formal pilgrimage are encouraged to attend Mass.
Acts of penance
Can’t make it to Stockbridge? The Holy See offers many additional ways to obtain a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year through acts of penance and mercy. These include:
- abstaining for at least one day a week from “futile distractions,” such as social media or television; fasting.
- donating “a proportionate sum of money to the poor.”
- supporting religious or social works, especially in the defense of life in all phases.
- offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, young people in difficulty, and abandoned children.
- volunteering in service to your community.
Lastly, the Holy See advises that Catholics can obtain a jubilee indulgence “if with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father.”
To learn more, visit the official Jubilee Year website or order a copy of Journey of Hope: A Guide to the Jubilee Year 2025, available from Marian Press.
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