January 25, 2013

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Saint Meinrad Archabbey churches designated as holy sites for Year of Faith indulgence

The Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is one of the nine holy sites for the Year of Faith designated by Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin. (File photo by Mary Ann Garber)

The Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the- Woods is one of the nine holy sites for the Year of Faith designated by Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin. (File photo by Mary Ann Garber)

By Brandon A. Evans

Prior to opening the Year of Faith last October, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the faithful could obtain a plenary indulgence if they meet certain conditions from now to the closing of the year on Nov. 24.

The most common way to obtain this indulgence is by making a sacramental confession, receiving the Eucharist, praying for the Holy Father’s intentions and making a special visit to a holy site that has been designated by the local bishop.

In the case of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin has designated nine holy sites throughout central and southern Indiana.

When making a visit to any of these sites, the faithful are encouraged to either attend Mass or spend time in prayer and meditation, closing with the Our Father, the Profession of Faith and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.

“During this Year of Faith, we are all encouraged to grow in our relationship to and our love for our Lord, Jesus Christ,” said Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne. “We are also encouraged to become more sincere and authentic disciples in the manner in which we live our lives and spread the ‘Good News.’

“The opportunity given us in these pilgrimages to various sites around the archdiocese and to receive the gift of an indulgence is one more way of growing in that love and spreading the Good News.”

An indulgence is not a substitute for the sacrament of penance, in which our sins are forgiven, Bishop Coyne noted.

“Even after our sins have been forgiven, the justice owed to God—meaning what recompense we may still owe to God for the sins we have committed—is still very much a part of our life.

“We talk about this often in connection to purgatory, an existence of the soul after death in which temporal punishment … for sins is completed. An indulgence is a gift to us from God through the Church by which we in this life can fulfill any requirement of divine justice that we owe to God by properly engaging in the work that the Church has given us.”

Indulgences are not any kind of “free pass,” Bishop Coyne added, as part of the requirement to receive them is to be contrite for our sins, to celebrate God’s forgiveness and to give thanks for our salvation through Jesus Christ.

The holy sites that the faithful are invited to visit are listed below and are also found on a webpage dedicated to the Year of Faith at www.archindy.org/yearoffaith.

What must a Catholic do to obtain the plenary indulgence for the Year of Faith?

To obtain the indulgence, faithful Catholics must “take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff,” along with one of the following:

• Attend at least three sermons during a parish mission, or at least three lessons on the Acts of the Second Vatican Council or the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in church or any other suitable location.
• Visit, in the course of a pilgrimage, a papal basilica, a Christian catacomb, a cathedral church or a holy site designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith (for example, minor basilicas and shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Apostles or patron saints), and there participate in a sacred celebration, or at least remain for a congruous period of time in prayer and pious meditation, concluding with the recitation of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary and, depending on the circumstances, to the Holy Apostles and patron saints.
• On the days designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith, … in any sacred place, they participate in a solemn celebration of the Eucharist or the Liturgy of the Hours, adding thereto the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form.
• On any day they chose, during the Year of Faith, if they make a pious visit to the baptistery or other place in which they received the sacrament of Baptism, and there renew their baptismal promises in any legitimate form.
 
 
 
What is an indulgence?
“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, #1471

Blessed Sacrament Chapel of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral

1347 North Meridian St., Indianapolis. Call 317-634-4519 or go to www.ssppc.org for more information.

  • The church is open each weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Daily Mass: Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
  • Saturday Anticipation Mass: 5 p.m.
  • Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m.
  • First Fridays: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, adoration, and confessions at noon.

St. John the Evangelist Church, Indianapolis

126 W. Georgia St., Indianapolis. Call 317-635-2021 or go to www.stjohnsindy.org for more information.

  • The oldest parish in Indianapolis, St. John is usually open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Designated time for pilgrims: Each Friday, the church is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a Holy Hour for Vocations is held from 11 a.m. to noon.
  • Daily Mass:12:10 p.m
  • Sunday Mass: 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
  • Confessions: Daily from 11:15 a.m. to noon
  • First Fridays: Tours of the church will be available throughout the day.

Calvary Mausoleum

435 W. Troy Ave., Indianapolis. Call 317-784-4439 for more information.

  • The cemetery is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mass is celebrated in the chapel on the third Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m.

St. Mary of the Knobs Church, Floyd County

3033 Martin Road, Floyd County. Call 812-923-1431 or go to www.stmaryoftheknobs.org for more information.

  • It is the oldest parish in the present boundaries of the archdiocese. Masses: Weekdays at 8 a.m.
  • Saturday Anticipation Mass: 4:30 p.m.
  • Sunday Mass: 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Holy Family Church, Oldenburg

3027 Pearl St., Oldenburg. Call 812-934-3013 or go to holyfamilychurcholdenburgin.com for more information.

  • The church is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
  • Daily Mass: Tuesday through Friday at 8 a.m.
  • Saturday Anticipation Mass: 5:30 p.m.
  • Sunday Masses: 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis

22143 Main St., Oldenburg. Call 812-934-2475 (motherhouse) or go to www.oldenburgfranciscans.org/corpministry.asp for more information.

  • The site for pilgrims to visit is the outdoor Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima that sits on the hill between the convent and the school. It is accessible 24 hours a day.

St. Augustine Church and Our Lady of Consolation Shrine (All times are central time)

18020 Lafayette St., Leopold. Call 812-843-5143 for more information.

  • The church is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Daily Mass: Wednesday through Friday at 8 a.m.
  • Saturday Anticipation Mass: 4 p.m.
  • Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m.
  • The outdoor shrine is accessible 24 hours a day.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Our Lady of Einsedein Archabbey Church (All times are central time)

100 Hill Drive, Saint Meinrad. Call 812-357-6611 or go to www.saintmeinrad.edu for more information.

  • The Abbey Church is open seven days a week, until 10 p.m.
  • The public is welcome at any of the following: Monday through Saturday, Morning Prayer, 5:30 a.m.; Mass: 7 a.m.; Midday Prayer, noon; Vespers, 5 p.m.; Compline, 7 p.m.
  • Sunday: Morning Prayer: 7:15 a.m.; Mass, 9:30 a.m.; Midday Prayer, noon; Vespers, 5 p.m.; Compline, 7 p.m.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Church of the Immaculate Conception and Tomb of St. Theodora Guérin

1 Sisters of Providence Road, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Welcome Center, 812-535-2945, and General Administration, 812-535-4193. Go to www.spsmw.org for more information.

  • Mass is offered daily in the Church of the Immaculate Conception and is open to the public.
  • Weekday Masses: Monday through Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (unless there is a funeral scheduled). If a funeral is scheduled, Mass begins at 11 a.m.
  • Sunday Mass: 11 a.m. A sign-interpreted liturgy is offered on the second Sunday of each month.
  • The public is also welcome to Sunday Brunch in O’Shaughnessy Dining Room from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

 

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