Sacred Penitentiary, 25 June 1968, Prot. 1440/68/R
Discalced Carmelite religious: church visit on 2 August
A perpetual concession covers Carmelite religious visiting their Order’s churches or oratories.
Time required Devout church visit and prayers: about 5–15 minutes (estimate).
- When
- 2 August, or with the Ordinary’s permission the immediately preceding or following Sunday; once for this occasion.
- Where
- A church or oratory of the same Discalced Carmelite Order.
- Who
- Members of the Discalced Carmelite First, Second or Third Order Regular.
- Application
- Self or the departed
The prescribed work
- Devoutly visit an eligible church or oratory and pray Our Father and Creed there.
- Fulfil the ordinary plenary conditions.
The work and its conditions
A plenary indulgence also requires complete detachment from every sin, sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions, subject to the grant’s stated exceptions. The ordinary limit is one plenary indulgence per day.
Conditions common to every indulgence
The person gaining an indulgence must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least when the prescribed works are completed. There must be at least a general intention to gain indulgences, and the prescribed work must be performed at the time and in the manner required by the grant.
Read the full conditions and norms. The cited grant and its specific provisions govern.
Time required
Read each branch with its own conditions. An editorial estimate is not a prescribed minimum.
Devout church visit and the prescribed prayers
Editorial estimate
About 5–15 minutes at the church (editorial estimate)
No fixed minimum is prescribed. About 5–15 minutes is an editorial estimate for the visit and short prayers; devotion, the complete prayers, and the specified place remain necessary.
What the time estimate excludes
- Ordinary travel to and from the venue, and waiting outside the prescribed work
- Separate fulfillment of the usual plenary conditions, except prayers or Mass expressly included in the branch.
Occasion and source notes
Dates show customary Roman or proper religious-family celebrations. Follow lawful liturgical transfers and the grant’s own local calendar. Membership, place, frequency and other conditions remain necessary. For the dated church or oratory visit, Norm 14 permits the visit from noon on the preceding day until midnight ending the observance. Follow the actual local observance and access hours; any required celebration, membership and frequency limits still apply.
Prayer texts and resources
Follow the prayer count and formula specified in the requirements. The two Creed readers are alternatives.
Source and exact reference
- Discalced Carmelite General Curia — Manual of Indulgences, Rome 2026Decree VII, p. 12
- Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, fourth editionNorms 13–14 and 17–19: transfer, preceding-noon visit window, prescribed work and frequency.
Prayer texts and grants have separate source histories. Consult the grant source for the prescribed work, occasion, and conditions.