Spiritual retreat of at least three full days

Devote at least three entire days to the spiritual exercises of a retreat.

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Time required At least three full days of spiritual exercises

When: During a qualifying retreat
Where: At the retreat
Who: All eligible faithful
Application: Self or the departed

The prescribed work

The retreat must include at least three full days of spiritual exercises.

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.

Qualifying retreat

Complete the prescribed event

At least three full days

The required span is three full retreat days, not 4,320 minutes of uninterrupted active prayer; follow the retreat programme.

Timing sources

Elapsed requirement At least three full days of spiritual exercises

What the time estimate excludes

Ordinary travel to and from the venue, and waiting outside the prescribed work
Preparation and separately fulfilled sacramental conditions, except where the prescribed work itself includes Communion or a liturgical celebration

Source and exact reference

Prayer texts and grants have separate source histories. Consult the grant source for the prescribed work, occasion, and conditions.