indulgences | holy rosary

First, a note on indulgences in general:

The granting of a plenary indulgence presupposes that one's soul is entirely free from affection for sin.  Only one each day can be gained— the sole exception being the day one dies, when another plenary indulgence can be gained at the monent of death, if we turn with love to God. As to partial indulgences, in the most recent edition of the Church's Enchiridion of Indulgences great emphasis is given to the Holy Father's decree that a partial indulgence is a "matching gran"". That is, in the granting of a partial indulgence, the Church uses her "power of the keys" and opens "the treasury of the Blood"—the inexhaustible resource of the merits of Our Redeemer, as well as those of Our Lady and all the Communion of Saints, to match whatever remission of the temporal punishment due to sin results from an individual's careful, loving performance of an indulgenced work. Although in the past a certain number of days was assigned to each possible indulgence, this is no longer done.

One must keep in mind that in order to gain an indulgence one must have the intention to do so. One may not assign indulgences gained to another person still living; however, indulgences gained can be offered up for the Holy Souls in Purgatory freely.

A plenary indulgences is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, a religious Community or pious Association:   a partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances.
A plenary indulgence can be gained, once a day, by praying the Rosary, privately or in common, before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or in the tabernacle. (This is true owing to the plenary indulgence attached to a practice of Eucharistic adoration that is at least one half hour in length, according to the Enchiridion).
The gaining of the plenary indulgence is regulated by the following norms:

1. The recitation of a third part only of the Rosary suffices; but the five decades must be recited continuously.
2. The vocal recitation must be accompanied by pious meditation on the mysteries.
3. In public recitation the mysteries must be announced in the manner customary in the place; for private recitation, however, it suffices if the recitation is accompanied by meditation on the mysteries.

Indulgences for Members of the Rosary Confraternity

For members of the Rosary Confraternity, a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, is granted: on the day of enrollment. (When application is made, a certificate of membership is sent, indicating the day of the enrollment.) The plenary indulgence is available on the following feast days as well:   Christmas, Easter, Annunciation, Purification, Assumption, Our Lady of the Rosary, and Immaculate Conception.

Partial indulgences

Any reverent use of a sacramental item by a member of the faithful qualifies us to receive a partial indulgence. Thus, carrying your Rosary with you mindfully and piously is an indulgenced practice, for example.

Blessings obtained from reciting the Rosary :

• Sinners are forgiven.
• Souls that thirst are refreshed.
• Those who are fettered have their bonds broken.
• Those who weep find happiness.
• Those who are tempted find peace.
• The poor find help.
• Religious are reformed.
• Those who are ignorant are instructed.
• The living learn to overcome pride.
• The dead (the Holy Souls) have their pains eased by suffrages.

• It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• It purifies our souls, washing away sin.
• It gives us victory over all our enemies.
• It makes it easy for us to practice virtue.
• It sets us on fire with love of Our Lord.
• It enriches us with graces and merits.
• It supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow men;
• and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God

Rosary Novenas

Religious devotion, public or private, for the duration of nine days to gain special graces, is call a Novena. Those who perform it with a lively hope of having their request granted, and with perfect resignation should it be refused, may be assured that Christ will grant some grace or blessing, though in His infinite wisdom and mercy He may refuse the particular favor which they implore.

Novenas originated in imitation of the Apostles who were gathered together in prayer for nine days from the time of Our Lord’s Ascension to Pentecost Sunday. However, care must be taken lest the power of any Novena be limited to the number nine rather than perseverance in fervent prayer. (In other words, a Novena is meant to be a fervent, persistent intercession, not a form of sympathetic magic, which is an abomination before God).

The practice of saying the Rosary nine times in the form of a Rosary Novena in petition or thanksgiving is another way of heeding Our Lady of Fatima’s admonition to Pray the Rosary. The 54 Day Novena Devotion which originated in 1884 at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, consists of the daily recitation of five decades of the Rosary for twenty-seven days in petition and five decades for twenty-seven additional days in thanksgiving. In reality you will be making three Novenas in petition for a particular favor and three Novenas in thanksgiving for a particular favor.

The devotion traditionally follows the formula below:

• 1st day say 5 Joyful Mysteries.
• 2nd day say the 5 Sorrowful Mysteries.
• 3rd day say the 5 Glorious Mysteries.
• 4th day begin again the 5 Joyful Mysteries, etc.

The First Five Saturdays

Mary’s Great Promise at Fatima

1. Confess and receive Communion
2. Recite five decades of the Rosary
3. And "keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me"

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.