"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.
The Church, through the authority invested in Her by our Lord Jesus Christ to bind and loose on Earth, allows the faithful to apply the satisfactory merits attached to prescribed prayers, works, and other actions, for the remission of temporal punishment due to sin. These indulgences may be applied either for the benefit of the individual who fulfills the necessary conditions, or for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Two types of indulgences may be gained:
Plenary:
Full remission of all temporal punishment for sins committed. Three conditions must be met:
1. Be in a state of grace with no attachment to sin
2. Sacramental confession within a two week period prior to the necessary acts
3. Sacramental Communion within a week of the act.
A plenary indulgence may be gained, fulfilling the conditions above, by:
1. Visiting and adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour.
2. Venerating the Word of God through reading, for at least half an hour, Sacred Scripture.
3. Making the Way of the Cross (walking from Station to Station, or if in a group, the leader must move to each Station) with devout meditation on the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Praying the Holy Rosary, with devout meditation on the Mysteries, in a church, as a family, in a religious community, or other pious association.
Partial:
Partial remission of temporal punishment for sins committed. The last two conditions above do not apply.
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