All Souls’ Day provides the opportunity to gain indulgences for our departed loved ones and for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory. What is an indulgence? “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven (in the Sacrament of Confession), 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 satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1471).
From the Handbook of Indulgences:
A plenary (full) indulgence, which is applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the Christian faithful who devoutly visit a church or an oratory on All Souls’ Day. The requirements for obtaining a Plenary Indulgence are:
- Visit a church and pray for the souls in Purgatory while in the state of grace
- Say the Our Father and the Creed during the visit to the church (this is accomplished in the liturgy if your visit is during Mass; outside of Mass, offer these on your own)
- Pray for the Pope’s intentions (an Our Father, or Hail Mary, or any other appropriate prayer is sufficient)
- Worthily receive Holy Communion (on the day itself or soon thereafter)
- Make a sacramental confession within 20 days of All Souls’ Day, either before or after
- For a plenary indulgence, be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin (otherwise, the indulgence is partial, not plenary). It is sufficient that the Christian makes an act of the will to love God above all things and to despise all sin.
In addition, you can gain a plenary indulgence visiting a cemetery each day between November 1st and November 8th. These indulgences are applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory. A partial indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, can be obtained whenever saying the “Eternal rest” prayer: “Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”
