Christ the King Parish in Acme shared a note from Rev. Christopher Jarvis on the Sunday, Nov. 1. 

“All Saints Day is a chance to celebrate all of the saints who have gone before us: those that do not have a feast day of their own,” Rev. Jarvis wrote in the church bulletin. “Not everyone who is a saint is recognized officially by the Church.”

All of those who have tried to live a life that is glorifying to God, however, are honored in November. 

The occasion of All Souls Day is an excellent opportunity for us to remember the faithful departed who are in purgatory.

These individuals can be easily forgotten but let us remember to be praying for them so that they can enter the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Rev. Jarvis explained the purpose of a plenary indulgence. 

“A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven,” Rev. Jarvis explained from the catechism, according to the bulletin. “The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution. Indulgences draw on the Treasury of Merit accumulated by Christ’s super-abundantly meritorious sacrifice on the cross and the virtues and penances of the saints.” 

The general conditions for a plenary indulgence are to devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the departed from November 1-8 and to visit a church or an oratory, reciting an Our Father and the Creed. We must also receive Holy Communion on a daily basis and confess sins within 8 days, detach ourselves from sin and pray for the Pope, as well as commonly pray an Our Father. 

Let us give thanks to our God for his mercy, allowing us to pray for the souls of those who have gone on before us, as they await the fullness of his glory.