The Shrine of Saint Anne is a Pilgrimage Site
for the Jubilee Year
in Honor of the 2,000th Anniversary of the Birth
of Saint Paul
Pope Benedict has declared a Jubilee Year in honor of the 2,000th anniversary
of the birth of Saint Paul and has made it possible for Catholics
to obtain a plenary indulgence throughout the year. The year extends
from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009. The Shrine of Saint Anne is
a pilgrimage site for the entire year. Therefore, on any day in the
Jubilee Year, Catholics who visit here, carry out an act of devotion
in honor of Saint Paul, and fulfill the usual conditions required
for obtaining an indulgence, will be eligible to gain a Plenary Indulgence
once a day for themselves or for a soul in Purgatory. The act of
devotion can be: to come to mass or another liturgical celebration,
to attend a prayer service honoring Saint Paul, or to spend time
in prayerful memory of Saint Paul. The conditions for obtaining an
indulgence are: reception of confession within twenty days prior
to or following the action, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for
the intentions of the Pope, and a sincere effort to eliminate all
attachment to sin whether mortal or venial.
The Jubilee Year with its special indulgence is offered by the Church
in view of the saving work of Christ, to help us grow in love for God
and for one another. We are invited to join with Catholics throughout
the world during this Jubilee Year and examine the writings of Saint
Paul found in his New Testament letters. The Church offers the indulgence
as an invitation to draw closer to the Lord by: receiving the sacraments,
visiting pilgrimage sites, reading the letters of Saint Paul, and performing
works of service and charity.
The decree that announced the plenary indulgence
describes the attitude of mind and heart that is needed to obtain
the indulgence. “In
order that the prayers pronounced on these holy visits may lead and
draw the souls of the faithful to a more intense veneration of the
memory of Saint Paul, the following conditions are laid down: The faithful,
apart from pronouncing their own prayers…pray the “Our
Father” and the “Creed,” adding pious invocations
in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Paul; and such acts of
devotion must remain closely linked to the memory of the prince of
the apostles, Saint Peter.” The decree reassured those who are
unable to leave their residences stating that they too may gain the
Jubilee Indulgence if they “spiritually unite themselves to a
jubilee celebration in honor of Saint Paul, offering their prayers
and suffering to God for the unity of Christians.”
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person owes
to God for sins that have been forgiven. Indulgences do not remove
sin, that is, the guilt for sin. Before entering heaven, all the temporal
punishment that remains for our sins must be removed, either in this
life through prayer, sacrifice and works of charity or after death
in Purgatory. An indulgence may be partial or plenary (full). A plenary
indulgence is the concession by the Church of the remission of all
temporal punishment through the merits of Christ. A partial indulgence
reduces some portion of the debt of temporal punishment.
