God’s Generosity, Plenary Indulgences
Those familiar with the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe are likely acquainted with the Solemn Pontifical Masses offered there several times a year by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, and dates are often chosen to include opportunity for plenary indulgences. The next of these falls on a special day for the Shrine: August 5, the anniversary of the Dedication of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
Saint Mary Major in Rome
In 2011, the Shrine was granted affiliation with St. Mary Major. This means that the graces of a pilgrimage to the ancient Roman basilica of Our Lady can also be obtained through pilgrimage to the Shrine in La Crosse. Thus, on the anniversary of St. Mary Major’s dedication, pilgrims to the Shrine may receive a plenary indulgence.
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- St. Mary Major | Baldacchino
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- Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe | Baldacchino
What are Indulgences?
Fr. Zachary Edgar, Director of Sacred Liturgy, explains the nature of these indulgences, which can be obtained for oneself or for departed souls. Indulgences are, “the expression of the Church’s full confidence of being heard by the Father when—in view of Christ’s merits and, by his gift, those of Our Lady and the Saints—she asks him to mitigate or cancel the painful aspect of punishment by fostering its medicinal aspect through other channels of grace.” – General Audience address of Pope Saint John Paul II That is, indulgences, like all ways of receiving grace, rely entirely on the redemptive merits of Christ. The merits of His holy ones are given power by being joined to His. The Church trusts in God’s infinite power and goodness when she invokes Him for the graces of an indulgence.
Catholic Devotion
God, for His part, entrusts to His Church the power of assigning indulgences to certain acts of devotion. Fr. Edgar cites the power of binding and loosing that Christ gave to Saint Peter (see Mt 16:19). Making the effort to perform the indulgenced act may require some effort, as a pilgrimage often does. This element of sacrifice is not to “earn” the graces but, as Fr. Edgar explains, is a way of showing Our Lord that we love Him. “There are special graces available to those who want to willingly participate in these particular sacrifices, which are united to Our Lord’s sacrifice of love poured out on the Cross,” he says. “All these things are meant to draw us higher and closer to Him, and we should zealously pursue these opportunities.”
How to Receive a Plenary Indulgence
According to the Vatican decree granting the Shrine affiliation with the papal basilica, the faithful can gain the plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, by pilgrimage to the Shrine on the following days, in addition to August 5:
On the titular feast of the church itself [December 12];
On all solemnities of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary;
Once yearly, on a day to be freely chosen by each of the faithful;
As often as a pilgrimage is made there as a group for the purpose of devotion.
The Generosity of God
God offers such great graces to those who make these efforts of love because He is never outdone in generosity. “If the Lord teaches us anything, it’s that He gives generously,” Fr. Edgar affirms. The Shrine often holds special liturgies, such as Solemn Pontifical Masses, on great Marian feast days, encouraging all to take part and receive the abundance so freely offered from the treasury of grace.
