Christian Mothers: 17 January 1968 reform grant, confirmed in current national directions
Christian Mothers: four appointed church visits
Four local occasions permit a partial indulgence for a visit and prayer for the Pope.
Time required Church visit and prayer for the Pope: about 3–10 minutes (editorial estimate).
- When
- Four days appointed by the local Confraternity each year, or their following Sundays.
- Where
- The church of the member’s Confraternity.
- Who
- Catholic women duly received into a canonically erected Confraternity of Christian Mothers affiliated to the Archconfraternity, including valid independent members affiliated directly to Pittsburgh. Marriage and having children are not prerequisites; participation alone is not enrollment.
- Application
- Self or the departed
The prescribed work
- Be duly admitted through the chapter director or his lawful representative, or through the Archconfraternity’s independent-member procedure.
- On one of the four days designated by the local Confraternity, or on the following Sunday, visit the Confraternity church.
- An independently enrolled member must still have an applicable Confraternity church and a properly appointed day; independent membership does not make every church eligible.
- There pray for the Pope’s intentions with the dispositions required for a partial indulgence.
The work and its conditions
The general requirements include at least a general intention, the state of grace by the completion of the work, and a contrite heart. Complete the work as prescribed.
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.
One of the four designated visits, or its following Sunday
Editorial estimate
About 3–10 minutes (editorial estimate)
No fixed duration is prescribed. The estimate covers the actual church visit and a brief prayer for the Pope; the grant does not prescribe a timed formula.
Timing sources
- Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers: membership and indulgencesCurrent national directions: formal reception, Catholic membership, plenary occasions and four partial works.
- National Director Fr Joseph Tuscan: membership and indulgence memorandum31 July 2023, pp.1 and 3–4; current official site republishes the memo. Confirms full membership irrespective of marriage or children, abolishes associate status, and specifies indulgenced works.
- St John the Baptist Parish: Confraternity welcome packetPDF pp.7–8 reproduce the 17 January 1968 post-reform grant and partial works. Its older associate-member distinction is superseded by the current national director’s memorandum.
- Christian Mothers: revised 2025 StatutesPrinted p.6, Article II: current plenary and partial grants; pp.7–8, Article III: current eligibility and actual registration.
- Christian Mothers: Manual for Directors and OfficersPrinted pp.26–27: reproduced 17 January 1968 plenary grant and accompanying partial-grant list; later membership distinctions are superseded by the 2023 memo and revised 2025 statutes.
What the time estimate excludes
- Ordinary travel and waiting; a pilgrimage itself remains part of the work where required.
Occasion and source notes
This card follows the fuller 31 July 2023 national director’s directions: a Confraternity-church visit on an appointed day or its following Sunday. The revised 2025 statutes and current directors’ manual summarize four appointed days and prayer for the Pope without repeating the church visit or Sunday alternative. That shorter summary does not demonstrate revocation; no broader prayer-anywhere route is inferred.
Source and exact reference
- Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers: membership and indulgencesCurrent national directions: formal reception, Catholic membership, plenary occasions and four partial works.
- National Director Fr Joseph Tuscan: membership and indulgence memorandum31 July 2023, pp.1 and 3–4; current official site republishes the memo. Confirms full membership irrespective of marriage or children, abolishes associate status, and specifies indulgenced works.
- St John the Baptist Parish: Confraternity welcome packetPDF pp.7–8 reproduce the 17 January 1968 post-reform grant and partial works. Its older associate-member distinction is superseded by the current national director’s memorandum.
- Christian Mothers: revised 2025 StatutesPrinted p.6, Article II: current plenary and partial grants; pp.7–8, Article III: current eligibility and actual registration.
- Christian Mothers: Manual for Directors and OfficersPrinted pp.26–27: reproduced 17 January 1968 plenary grant and accompanying partial-grant list; later membership distinctions are superseded by the 2023 memo and revised 2025 statutes.
Prayer texts and grants have separate source histories. Consult the grant source for the prescribed work, occasion, and conditions.