Sacred Penitentiary, 3 December 1968, I
Seven Sorrows Rosary for members of the Servite family
The revised Servite grant provides one plenary opportunity annually and partial indulgences on other occasions.
Time required Complete the Seven Sorrows Rosary: about 20–35 minutes (editorial estimate).
- When
- Plenary once each year, on a day of choice; partial otherwise.
- Where
- For plenary: a church or oratory, a religious community, a pious association, or a family.
- Who
- Religious of the Servite First and Second Orders, and members of its Third Order Regular or Secular.
- Application
- Self or the departed
The prescribed work
- Devoutly recite the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.
- For the annual plenary indulgence, use one of the specified settings and fulfil the ordinary plenary conditions.
- A partial indulgence is available in other circumstances, with the ordinary partial-indulgence dispositions.
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.
Partial: complete Rosary of the Seven Sorrows in the eligible circumstances
Editorial estimate
About 20–35 minutes (editorial estimate)
No numeric minimum is prescribed. This estimate covers the complete devotion at a normal prayerful pace; readings, pauses, and communal singing can make it longer.
Annual plenary: complete Rosary of the Seven Sorrows in the specified setting
Editorial estimate
About 20–35 minutes (editorial estimate)
The prayer itself has no numeric minimum. The annual plenary frequency and restricted setting are separate conditions, not additional minutes of prayer.
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.
Prayer texts and resources
Follow the prayer count and formula specified in the requirements.
Source and exact reference
- Servite General Curia — Corona dell’Addolorata, editio typica (1986)Section 34; Acta OSM 28 (1968), pp. 23–24; official host may be unavailable
- Servite General Curia — same 1986 edition, accessible document mirrorPrinted pp. 34–35, §34; PDF p. 30
Prayer texts and grants have separate source histories. Consult the grant source for the prescribed work, occasion, and conditions.