Plenary Indulgence

Pilgrims May Gain Plenary Indulgence

His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Founder of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, announced on July 31, 2011, that the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse has been affiliated to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

With this affiliation comes the opportunity for pilgrims visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to gain plenary indulgences, under the usual conditions. A plenary indulgence is the entire remission of temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has been forgiven.
With the affiliation comes a most generous grant of indulgences, so that pilgrims to this [Shrine] may draw more fully upon the rich treasury of the merits of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and of His Sorrowful Mother and of all the saints who have shared with Him, to an heroic degree, in His Suffering and Dying. In gratitude, let us pray, in a special way today, for the intentions of our Holy Father. Let us also hasten to draw upon his rich gift to us for the sake of the salvation of souls, especially the souls of our brothers and sisters in Purgatory.

Plenary indulgences may be gained:

• On the patronal feast day of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome: August 5;
• On the patronal feast day of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse: December 12;
• On all solemnities of the Virgin Mother of God: January 1, March 25, August 15, December 8;
• On any day chosen by a pilgrim once a year;
• As many times during the year as the faithful are part of an organized pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse for the purposes of devotion, reform of life, growth in holiness and greater communion with the Holy Father and all the members of the Church through the intercession of the Virgin Mother of God and Mother of the Church, each of the participants in the pilgrimage may gain a plenary indulgence.

Conditions for gaining the Plenary Indulgence are the following:

• Visit to the Shrine Church
• The prayer of the Creed
• One Our Father during the visit

Together with the usual conditions for gaining a plenary indulgence, namely:

• Sacramental Confession
• Holy Communion
• A prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father (for example, one Our Father and one Hail Mary)

All the above must be fulfilled within about 20 days (before or after) of the prescribed work (i.e. visit to the Shrine Church), in addition to detachment from all sin, including venial sin.

Sacramental Confession and Holy Communion (within Mass) are available at the Shrine daily.