August 28-29 - Traditional Indulgence of the day!

We are evaluating old indulgences that have been approve on todays date of: 

August

28 & 29

List of Traditional materials we will be looking at today, and the current/withstanding grants that they satisfy (directly or indirectly).

• 1950s. PRAYER TO MARY, MOST HOLY, MOTHER OF ORPHANS

  • partial indulgence… Grant 17

• 395. RECITATION OF THE ROSARY

  • plenary/partial indulgence… Grant 17

• 751. A Prayer to be said after celebrating Mass

  • partial indulgence… Grant 15

NOTE:

• Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under Grant 15.

• Every invocation may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under ‘General Grant ’ 1 

• Every practice may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if it is applied correctly, under one of the ‘General Grant’s 2, 3, or 4

• Some spelling errors may be present.

• Abbreviations that are found at the end of an indulgence prayer/practice (like S. P. Ap., and S. C. Ind.,) are, in essence, a specific ecclesiastical approval for a particular indulgence.

• Traditional indulgences are ordered by their last date of approval.

1950s. PRAYER TO MARY, MOST HOLY, MOTHER OF ORPHANS - Composed by Pope Pius XII -

Hail, O Virgin most pure and Queen most powerful, whom the human family addresses with the sweetest name of Mother, we cannot call upon an earthly mother either because we have never known one or because we have been deprived very early of the support of a mother's sweet care. Therefore we have recourse to thee, confident that thou wilt show thyself a Mother to us in particular. If our sad plight moves men's hearts with sentiments of pity, compassion and love towards us, will not thy most tender heart be moved still more seeing as thou art the most loving, the most affectionate and the most merciful of all pure creatures.

O true Mother of all orphans, we take refuge in thy Immaculate Heart, certain to find therein all comfort and consolation for our lonely hearts. We place full confidence in thee trusting that thy maternal hand will guide and sustain us in the difficult journey through this life.

Bless all who assist us and protect us in Thy name; reward our benefactors and those noble souls who sacrifice their lives for us. But above all, be thou ever a Mother unto us, by moulding our hearts, by enlightening our minds, by regulating our will, by adorning our souls with all virtue and by driving away those hostile to our welfare who would prefer to destroy us forever.

Finally, most loving Mother, our joy and our hope, lead us to Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb, so that if we lack the sweet tenderness of an earthly mother, we may become so much more worthy of thee in this life and in the eternal hereafter may rejoice in thy maternal affection and in thy company together with that of thy divine Son who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. An indulgence of 1000 days (S.P. Ap. August 28, 1956).

This prayer is granted a partial indulgence under Grant 17, because it has been “approved” at least once. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly address the Blessed Virgin Mary with some approved prayer

P.S. Because this prayer mentions ‘benefactors’ it could be that this prayer may also gain a partial indulgence under Grant 24, which is for prayers for benefactors.

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CHAPTER V. “THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY” – Art. V. “THE HOLY ROSARY” – (A) AS PRACTICED IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH - II. II. THE RECITATION OF THE ROSARY

395. a) The faithful, whenever they recite a third part of the Rosary with devotion, may gain: An indulgence of 5 years. (Bull "Ea que ex fidelium", Sixtus IV, May 12, 1479; S. C. Ind, Aug. 29, 1899; S. P. Ap, March 18, 1932). A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if they do this for an entire month. (Pius XII, Jan. 22, 1952)

b) If they recite a third part of the Rosary in company with others, whether in public or in private, they may gain: An indulgence of 10 years, once a day; A plenary indulgence on the last Sunday of each month, with the addition of confession, Communion and a visit to a church or public oratory, if they perform such a recitation at least three times in any of the preceding weeks.

If however they recite this together in a family group, besides the partial indulgence of 10 years, they are granted: A plenary indulgence twice a month, if they perform this recitation daily for a month, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, and visit some church or public oratory. (S. C. Ind., May 12, 1851 and Aug. 29, 1899; S. P. Ap., Mar. 18, 1932 and July 26, 1946).

The faithful who daily recite a third part of the Rosary with devotion in a family group, besides the indulgences already granted under 395b), are also granted: A plenary indulgence on condition of confession and Communion, on each Saturday, on two other days of the week, and on each of the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the universal Calendar, namely, the Immaculate Conception, the Purification, the Apparition of Our Blessed Lady at Lourdes, the Annunciation, the Seven Dolors (Friday in Passion Week), the Visitation, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Our Lady of the Snows, the Assumption, the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Name of Mary, the Seven Dolors (Sept 15), Our Lady of Ransom, the Most Holy Rosary, the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (S. P. Ap., Oct. 11, 1954).

c) Those who piously recite a third part of the Rosary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed or even reserved in the tabernacle, as often as they do this, may gain: A plenary indulgence, on condition of confession and Communion. (Apostolic Brief, Sept. 4, 1927)

NOTE: 1. The decades may be separated, if the entire chaplet is completed on the same day. (S. C. Ind., July 8, 1908).

2. If, as is the custom during recitation of the Rosary, the faithful make use of a chaplet, they may gain other indulgences in addition to those enumerated above, if the chaplet is blessed by a religious of the Order of Preachers or another priest having special faculties. (S. C. Ind., April 13, 1726, Jan. 22, 1858 and Aug. 29, 1899)

Mot of this traditional indulgence does seem to reflect the current indulgence requirements when it comes to praying the rosary.

The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who 1° devoutly recite the Marian rosary in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, or an association of the faithful, and in general when several of the faithful gather for some honest purpose;

2° devoutly join in the recitation of the rosary while it is being recited by the Supreme Pontiff and broadcast live by radio or television.

In other circumstances, the indulgence will be partial.

NOTE: there may be some additional requirements to gain a plenary indulgence by praying the rosary. For a fuller context, please go to Grant 17 in the Manuel of Indulgences (Here). The last paragraph that mentions other chaplets being approved in place of the rosary still stands today, but it is only for places that have another prayerful tradition other then the rosary/no rosary tradition at all.

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CHAPTER IX. “FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS” – PART II. “IN FAVOR OF CERTAIN GROUPS OF PERSONS” - IV. “PRAYERS TO BE SAID BY PRIESTS” – (B) To fulfil worthily the Sacred Offices committed to them.

751. A Prayer to be said after celebrating Mass – I beseech Thee, sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, let Thy Passion be my strength, whereby I may be fortified, protected and defended: let Thy wounds be my meat and drink, wherewith I may be fed and filled to overflowing with spiritual joy: let the sprinkling of Thy Blood be to me a cleansing from all my sins: let Thy death be to me life unfailing, and Thy Cross my everlasting glory. In these let me find refreshment, exultation, healing and sweetness in my heart: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

An indulgence of 3 years (S. C. Ind., Dec. 11, 1846).

Priests who say the above prayer after Mass, with the right dispositions and devoutly kneeling (if possible), will receive the remission of all shortcomings and faults committed by them through human frailty in offering the Holy Sacrifice (S. C. of the Holy Office, Aug. 29, 1912)

As it’s been mentioned before, there are no indulgences for prayers said by priests specifically. Anyone can say select prayers, or any prayers, and it would apply under Grant 15 at the very least. Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, under Grant 15. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who for their personal edification devoutly spend time in mental prayer.

This concludes the Traditional Indulgences

Every prayer/practice that we evaluated today is taken from the last approved publication of the Raccolta. The Raccolta was once the official book/document/list of approved Indulgences. In its last publication there were 780+ individualized prayers/practices that were approved for gaining indulgences.

In 1967 indulgence practices were revised so that indulgences are now, today, granted more in the style of “category” of prayers/practices rather than individually. This leaves me with the question: how do the indulgenced prayers/practices from the Raccolta (traditional indulgence) line up with the indulgences of today? That question is what this “study” seeks to answer.