Conversion of St. Paul on Jan. 25
occasion for plenary indulgence
JACKSON — In this Jubilee Year of St. Paul (June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009), the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul falls on Sunday, Jan. 25, according to Mary Woodward, director of the diocesan Department of Evangelization and its Office of Liturgy.
“Since this is a Jubilee Year honoring the Apostle Paul, the Mass for this feast may be used in place of the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time,” she said in the Diocesan Weekly E-News dated Jan. 9.
The e-newsletter is sent to all pastors and other administrative officials of parishes and missions in the Diocese of Jackson.
According to Woodward, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul is one of four occasions during 2009 that a person can earn a plenary indulgence specifically available during the Jubilee Year of St. Paul.
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment.
The other occasions are:
— the Shipwreck of St. Paul (Feb. 10),
— the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus (June 19), or
— the Vigil/Solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul (June 28-29).
The plenary indulgence may be obtained on those occasions by making a pilgrimage to any of the following churches in the Diocese of Jackson:
— St. Paul Church in Vicksburg,
— St. Paul Church in Flowood,
— St. Peter Cathedral in Jackson,
— St. Mary Basilica in Natchez,
— St. James Church in Tupelo,
— Christ the King Church in Southaven, or
— Our Lady of Victories Church in Cleveland.
Conditions for obtaining a plenary indulgence are:
— participation in the sacrament of penance
during or within a few days of the pilgrimage;
— reception of Communion;
— prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father;
— a spirit of detachment from inclination to sin; and
— a desire to join in a jubilee celebration in honor of St. Paul.
