Plenary Indulgences for the Jubilee Year 2025
Diocese of Sacramento

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What is a plenary indulgence?

The infinite merits of Christ’s death and resurrection have been entrusted on earth to his Church. The Church, therefore, has both the duty and responsibility for establishing the conditions by which these graces might be dispensed to the faithful. The ordinary means of communicating Christ’s graces comes through the celebration of the sacraments, and especially through reception of the Holy Eucharist. By these beneficent means, the faithful are united themselves more closely to the salvific work of Christ: “By his wounds, you have been healed.” (1 Pt. 2.24; Is. 53:5)

In addition to these ordinary sacramental means, the Church can apply the merits of Christ’s saving work to special or extraordinary acts of devotion undertaken by the faithful to unite themselves to the one saving work of Christ. The application of these graces through such special acts are termed “indulgences,” which share the same nature of penances given in the Sacrament of Confession. Indulgences can be applied either to oneself or to another, including the souls in Purgatory. The effect of an indulgence is a partial remission for the temporal punishment due to sin which one would undergo in Purgatory. For a helpful overview of the Church’s teaching on indulgences, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 1471-1473. 

In even more special instances, such as a Jubilee year, the Church applies Christ’s graces in an even more distinct way by attaching a plenary indulgence to certain devotional practices. A plenary indulgence gains for oneself or for another a complete remission of all temporal punishment in Purgatory.

 

In order to gain a plenary indulgence, a person must (1) fulfill the specific act to which the plenary indulgence is attached, and (2) fulfill the “usual conditions” for an indulgence. 

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The “usual conditions” for obtaining any indulgence 

In addition to the specific acts related to a plenary indulgence, the faithful must fulfill all the usual conditions, which are:

 

1. Detachment from all sin, even venial sin.

2. Sacramental confession and reception of Holy Communion.

3. Praying the ‘Our Father,’ ‘Hail Mary,’ and ‘Glory Be’ for the specific intentions of the Pope. Every month, the Pope announces a specific prayer intention close to his heart. For examples, see the list of the Pope’s monthly intentions for 2024. Stay updated on the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions by checking the websites or social media accounts of the Pope, Vatican News, or the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Specific acts to which the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence is attached

During this Jubilee Year of Hope, from Christmas Eve (December 24) 2024 to Epiphany (January 6) 2026, Pope Francis has applied the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence to acts of devotion to which can be fulfilled in Rome and throughout the world. For the purposes of the Diocese of Sacramento, these acts can be grouped into five major categories. 

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First Category: Pilgrimages to Rome

Making a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul is the most traditional act related to the plenary indulgence. A member of the faithful who piously visits any of the four major papal basilicas (Saint Peter in the Vatican, Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Saint John Lateran, and Saint Mary Major) while fulfilling the usual conditions can receive the plenary indulgence. This also applies to visits to other select sites in Rome, such as the Catacombs and the Basilica of the Holy Cross. 

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Second Category: Visits to designated sites in your home diocese

Diocesan bishops can also designate pilgrimage locations within their dioceses where the plenary indulgence can be gained. In the Diocese of Sacramento, this firstly applies to our Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. There are eleven other locations indicated by Bishop Soto:
   • Sacred Heart (Anderson)
   • Sacred Heart (Susanville)
   • Holy Cross (Tulelake)
   • Saint Patrick (Grass Valley)
   • Saint Isidore (Yuba City)
   • Saint Lawrence (North Highlands)
   • Saint Charles Borromeo (Sacramento)
   • Saint James (Davis)
   • Saint Dominic (Benicia)
   • Saint Clare (Roseville)
   • Holy Trinity (El Dorado Hills)

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Third Category: Works of Mercy
Practicing any of the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy can also be an occasion for the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence. See below for more information:
 
The Spiritual Works of Mercy | USCCB
The Corporal Works of Mercy | USCCB

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Fourth Category: Acts of Penance

The Church has suggested several other acts of penance which might be applied toward indulgences, which include but are not limited to:

 

• Abstaining for at least one day a week from “futile distractions,” such as social media or television 

• Fasting from food and drink

• Abstaining from eating meat on Fridays or another day of the week

• Donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor

• Supporting religious or social works, especially in the defense of life in all phases. For example, those in our Diocese might contributing to the Catholic Foundation of Sacramento, Sacramento Life Center, The St. Vincent de Paul Society, The Sacramento Food Bank, Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Catholic Charities of Yolo-Solano, Loaves and Fishes, Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home, and Mother Theresa Maternity Home. 

• Offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, those who are sick, the homebound, young people in difficulty, adolescents and adults who are incarcerated.

• Volunteering in service to your community, for example, through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Loaves and Fishes, Exodus Project, CASA Program, and Detention Ministry. ​

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Fifth Category: Formation in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council

The Church has decreed that Catholics may receive the 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.” The Lay Mission Project, Cursillo, and Ministry Days 2025 are just a few of the formal formation programs occuring in the Diocese which fulfill this category. Furthermore, all Diocesan catechetical certification programs in the Diocese, beginning with our Catechetical Foundations course, are based on the broad teaching of the Catechism in light of the Second Vatican Council. These are excellent opportunities to earn the Plenary Indulgence.

Final Considerations

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In their wisdom, Pope Francis and the bishops of the Church have given the faithful many opportunities, both in Rome and around the world, to participate fruitfully in the Jubilee of Hope and to obtain the Plenary Indulgence. Finally, so as not to leave out those who due to advanced age, infirmity, or other genuine constraints cannot travel to the pilgrimage sites, the Church has also decreed that:

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The faithful who are truly repentant of sin but who cannot participate in the various solemn celebrations, pilgrimages and pious visits for serious reasons (especially cloistered nuns and monks, but also the elderly, the sick, prisoners, and those who, through their work in hospitals or other care facilities, provide continuous service to the sick), can obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, under the same conditions if, united in spirit with the faithful taking part in person, (especially when the words of the Supreme Pontiff or the diocesan Bishop are transmitted through the various means of communication), they recite the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any approved form, and other prayers in conformity with the objectives of the Holy Year, in their homes or wherever they are confined (e.g. in the chapel of the monastery, hospital, nursing home, prison...) offering up their sufferings or the hardships of their lives. 

   
For more specific information about the Jubilee Indulgence, consult the “Norms Concerning the Concession of the Plenary Indulgence during the Jubilee Year 2025” published by the Apostolic Penitentiary, available in several languages here: Norms Concerning the Concession of the Plenary Indulgence