The Major Penitentiary of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Piacenza, has confirmed the grant of a plenary indulgence requested by Bishop Steven Lopes to mark the 10th Anniversary of Anglicanorum coetibus, published Nov. 4, 2009.

There are two ways to obtain this plenary indulgence:

Participate in Mass and the singing of the solemn Te Deum in an Ordinariate parish or parochial community on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral and Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas from Nov. 3, 2009 until Sept. 27, 2020, the Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Here are some further details from the message sent to priests of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1471). The Indulgence for a visit to the Shrine during the Jubilee year may be obtained daily for one’s self, or, as an act of supreme charity, the person making the pious visit may receive the Indulgence on behalf of a member of Christ’s faithful who has died. The conditions for obtaining the Plenary Indulgence, both on November 3 or by making a pious visit to the Cathedral and Shrine during the Jubilee year, indicate that the faithful Christian: have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

have sacramentally confessed his/her sins within 20 days of receiving the Indulgence;

receive the Holy Eucharist, preferably on the day receiving the Indulgence;

pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

This is great news!

Our parish will celebrate a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit followed by a Solemn Te Deum on Sunday at 10:00. (Mattins at 9:20).

And in a little more than two weeks, we will have a Thanksgiving Mass and Solemn Te Deum at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto on Nov. 15, followed by a reception. On Nov. 16, we will have our Anglicanorum Coetibus Society conference, as well as choral Mattins and Evensong. Come celebrate with us in Toronto.

Don’t forget to register!