Religious of both sexes of every order and institute may, on fulfilling the works enjoined, gain the above Indulgences, since all, a very few excepted, are granted to persons in every state of life.
Moreover Pope Paul V., by his universal Brief, May 23, 1606, commencing Romanus
Pontifex, after revoking (with the exception of
the Indulgences annexed to churches, as the S. Congr. of Indulgences declared, Sept. 7,
1607,
and the S. Congr. of Bishops and Regulars, Aug. 21, 1615) all and every Indulgence previously
granted to the regular orders of both sexes being religious of any denomination whatsoever,
and having taken the three solemn vows, according to the declaration of the S.
Congr. of Indulgences of May 8, 1713, and April 23, 1714, - granted anew for ever the following
Indulgences to the religious of every order, whether monastic or mendicant, and to the nuns of every approved rule living under the three solemn vows in perpetual cloister, viz.:
i. A plenary indulgence to all the faithful of both sexes who, in accordance with the Apostolical
Constitutions, wear the religious habit for the purpose of professing that Regular Institute
which they have chosen; to be gained on the first day of their entrance into religion, or on the day of their
clothing, on condition of their being truly penitent for their sins, and having gone to Confession, and Communion.
ii. A plenary indulgence to every novice, male and female, on the day of their
making their religious profession, after having finished the year of their clothing,
on condition of their being truly penitent, and having gone to Confession and
Communion.
(With regard to nuns, Pope Benedict XIII., by a Brief, universal and perpetual, In
supremo, of
April 11, 1728, granted the plenary indulgence afresh, on the same conditions as above, on
the day of their veiling, benediction, or consecration, as in the case of their religious profession.)
iii. The plenary indulgence to every religious of both sexes, as above, who, having
Confessed, shall go to Communion
on the principal Feast of his or her order; or who, being a priest, shall celebrate
the Holy Mass and pray to God for the Holy Church,
&c.
iv. A plenary indulgence in articulo mortis, to all religious of both sexes, as above, who,
being penitent, have gone to Confession and Communion; or who, being unable to do
so, shall be at least contrite for their sins, and invoke devoutly with their lips or heart the
most holy Name of Jesus.
v. A plenary indulgence to every religious man on the day that, after having been
canonically promoted to the priesthood, he shall, after Confession, celebrate for the first
time Holy Mass; and also the plenary indulgence to his fellow- religious who shall be
present at his first Mass, provided that they have Confessed and Communicated on that day, or who, being priests, have celebrated Holy Mass.
vi. A plenary indulgence and remission of all sins to all religious of both sexes, as often as they shall, with the leave of their respective
superiors, make for ten days the spiritual exercises, applying themselves during
that time to meditation on the four last things, on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, on the blessings of God,
&c., and passing at least two hours each day in mental prayer, and exercising
themselves in other practices of virtue, mortification, vocal prayer, or ejaculatory prayer, or the like; and provided also
that, having made either a general, or annual, or ordinary Confession, they shall go to Communion, or, if priests, celebrate Holy
Mass.
vii. The indulgences of the Stations to all religious of both sexes, as above,
who, on the days of the Stations described in the Roman Missal, shall visit devoutly their own church, and pray there as if they were
making the visit personally to the churches of the Stations in Rome on the days prescribed.
viii. An indulgence of five years and five quarantines
to all religious of both sexes, an above, who shall say five Pater noster’s and five
Ave
Maria’s before the altar of their church. The same Indulgence to those religious
who, being for a legitimate reason away from home on a journey, or dwelling out side
the walls of their monastery in the capacity of lecturers, preachers, &c., with leave of their superiors,
shall say the said five Pater noster’s and Ave Maria’s before any altar whatever.
ix. An indulgence of sixty years and sixty quarantines
on the last Sunday in the month, after Confession and Communion, or, if priests, after
having celebrated holy Mass, to all religious of both sexes, as above, who for an entire
month shall make daily half an hour’s mental prayer.
x. A indulgence of three years and three quarantines to all religious of both sexes, as above, who, being
contrite in heart and penitent, shall at Chapter, or whenever they shall hold
spiritual conference together, say Meâ culpâ, accusing themselves of their
sins, defects, and imperfections.
xi. A plenary indulgence to every religious each time that, in obedience to
the Sovereign Pontiff and with leave of superiors, he goes into the countries of
the infidels or heretics to preach the faith of Jesus Christ and instruct them, &c., after Confession and
Communion, or, if a priest, after having celebrated Holy Mass, as well on setting out for his journey, as on entering the
aforesaid provinces or kingdoms.
xii. Finally, plenary indulgence to all religious of both sexes, when, on a General
Visitation, the Superior sets up the Quarant’ Ore in the convents and monasteries of his order for the happy event of
the same, as often as they make two hours’ prayer at intervals before the Blessed
Sacrament for peace amongst Christian princes, &c., for the better observance of rule
and regular discipline; to be gained after Confession and Communion, or, in the case of priests,
celebration of Holy Mass.
These are the Indulgences which regard all the aforesaid religious of both sexes in general; and according to the tenor
of the said Brief of Paul V., they are also conceded generally to other congregations and colleges of religious
men, as well as to monasteries, congregations, and communities of nuns who live without cloister,
and with simple vows alone. In particular, however, every regular order, every
convent, monastery, college, and congregation if religious persons of both sexes,
enjoy many other Plenary and Partial Indulgences, of which we do not here undertake to make mention,
inasmuch as our object ins this Raccolta is to restrict ourselves to the mention of
those prayers and pious works enriched with holy Indulgences, which are for the most part universal, and
common to every condition of person.