Gaining the Plenary Indulgance during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope

There's a lot of excitement being generated over the Jubilee Year of Hope, and rightfully so!  There's a Plenary Indulgence** to be gained and with a significant "enhancement".  Normally, such an Indulgence can only be gained once a day - either for oneself or to be applied towards a deceased person of one's choosing (who may be undergoing Purgatory) - but the Church has made a special dispensation for this particular Jubilee Year to allow for two Plenary Indulgences in a day; a person can now gain the Indulgence for oneself and a second for a deceased individual.  This is an incredible gift, not just for the living, but also for the Faithful Departed.

The Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica

Essentially, the person desiring to gain the Plenary Indulgence must walk through one of the "Holy Doors"** located in any one of the four Papal Basilicas in Rome: St. Peter's Basilica, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, or the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (a fifth door was opened in Ribibbia Prison, Rome).  One must also perform certain prescribed good works while being free of sin.

So Jesus again said to them,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door

of the sheep...  If anyone enters by me,

he will be saved and will go in and

out and find pasture.

- John 10:7-10

The conditions for gaining the Plenary Indulgence are listed below:

There's a special emphasis with this Jubilee that we be "Pilgrims of Hope" when making our way to Rome ... and through life, in general, throughout 2025, but understandably the majority of us Catholics are likely not able to make a pilgrimage to Rome to walk through one of those special doors.  Fortunately for us, the Vatican is allowing dioceses around the world to establish their own temporary pilgrimages to allow for the Indulgences to be gained locally.  Certain dioceses are implementing "Pilgrim/Traveling Jubilee Crosses" that will travel from parish to parish, which the Faithful can then visit and perform the required acts of piety in order to gain the Indulgence.  This is what the Diocese of Honolulu will be doing - see the official memo below for additional information:

There are actually two stationary Jubilee Crosses - one in the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (downtown Honolulu) and another one in the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa (in Liliha, Honolulu). A third and slightly smaller cross will be traveling throughout our Hawaii Diocese, likely to the neighbor island parishes.

One of Hawaii's Jubilee Crosses in the 

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.

I encourage everyone reading this blog to check with your respective Dioceses as to what local opportunities are available to gain the Plenary Indulgence of the Jubilee Year of Hope.  Admittedly, it's not an easy Indulgence to gain, but we should definitely try since it offers us the possibility of a full remission of all temporal punishment due to us for our sins.  In other words, we could bypass ALL the purgatory-time due to us after we die, and free loved ones from their own Purgatory!  That's BIG!  And even if we are not perfectly disposed to receive the Plenary Indulgence, a Partial Indulgence may be gained, which is still worth the effort - see the link below for more information concerning the Church's teaching on Indulgences.

So be sure to take advantage of the Jubilee Year; give it your very best shot!  It's a great, great gift from God through our Catholic Church.

** Additional information and resources concerning the Jubilee Year of Hope may be found by accessing the following links:

• For information concerning the biblical basis and the significance of "Jubilee Years", click here.

• For information concerning the significance of the "Holy Door", click here.

• For information concerning the Church's teaching on Indulgences, click here.

• For detailed information and the schedule of events concerning the Jubilee Year of Hope, click here.