24 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Here in western Massachusetts, our bishop, the Most Rev. William Byrne of the Diocese of Springfield, issued a decree making the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy “a sacred place-pilgrimage site” for the duration of the Jubilee Year, concluding on Holy Family Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. How to obtain The decree states that, “as a Pilgrimage Site, the faithful, Pilgrims of Hope, will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence granted by the Holy Father if they undertake a pious pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge by devoutly participating in Holy Mass.” If Mass (every day, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET, and also at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sundays) is not convenient, they may also make the Stations of the Cross or pray the Rosary, recited daily at 1:30 p.m. ET. The decree also states that the faithful can obtain the plenary indulgence at the National Shrine if they, individually or in a group, “for a suitable period of time, engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with the Lord’s Prayer, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form as well as invocations to Mary, the Mother of God, so that in this Holy Year everyone ‘will come to know the closeness of Mary, the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children’ (Spes non confundit, 24).” To obtain the Jubilee plenary indulgence, the usual conditions apply: detachment from all sin, sacramental Confession, holy Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father. While usually only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day, during the Jubilee Year the Holy See is extending this to two, subject to all conditions, with an act of charity carried out for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Acts of penance Can’t make it to Stockbridge? The Holy See offers many additional ways to obtain a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year through acts of penance and mercy. These include: abstaining for at least one day a week from “futile distractions,” such as social media or television; fasting; donating “a proportionate sum of money to the poor;” supporting religious or social works, especially in the defense of life in all phases; offering support to migrants, the elderly, the poor, young people in difficulty, and abandoned children; and volunteering in service to your community. Lastly, the Holy See advises that Catholics can obtain a jubilee indulgence “if with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father.” For more information on planning a visit to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, visit ShrineofDivineMercy.org. News and updates on the Jubilee Year of Hope are posted on TheDivineMercy.org. The Jubilee Indulgence Journey of Hope: A Guide to the Jubilee Year 2025 (code B65-JYOH) from the Marian Fathers is available on ShopMercy.org. You may have heard that the Jubilee Year of Hope, now under way, offers the opportunity for the faithful to obtain a special plenary indulgence, a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. One way is to make a pilgrimage. You can visit a designated church in Rome or, closer to home, a sacred site designated by the bishop of your diocese.
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