Happy Halloween!
As I was researching (for the 20th time), what exactly I need to do to gain a plenary indulgence for All Saints Day, I found a great article on a totally unrelated topic.
See, I have been writing Christian book reviews for years and constantly run into the misconception that Catholics aren’t Christian. Really? Anyway, this article finally explained why so many people think that Catholics aren’t Christians. So, to put that particular falsehood to rest, I am, in fact a Christian.
The article also explains Halloween a bit, I think and we don’t not celebrate it. We dress up, get candy, decorate with ‘cute’ ghosts, jack o lanterns, cats & bats.
And to those Catholic readers, don’t forget to schedule confession this week to take advantage of the indulgences available! Since going to Mass on All Saints Day (Nov. 1) is a holy day of obligation, you may as well get a soul released from purgatory while you are at it, right?
If you’ve never done it (or can never quite remember how it works), to gain a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory on All Saints Day, you must:
- piously attend church and say the Creed and an Our Father
- go to Confession (give or take a few days)
- receive the Eucharist
- and pray for our Holy Fathers intentions (an Our Father and a Hail Mary).
You can do the same thing on All Souls Day (Nov. 2) and could also gain a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory by visiting a cemetery and praying for the souls of the deceased between Nov. 1-8. You can only gain one plenary indulgence per day, but from the 1st to the 8th you could free 8 souls from purgatory if you were so inclined.
