Archbishop John Wilson, decree of 16 November 2019
Canterbury: shrine visit on Saint Thomas Becket’s solemnity
Devoutly visit this shrine on the local solemnity of Saint Thomas Becket, 29 December.
Time required No fixed duration for the devout shrine visit.
- When
- The local solemnity of Saint Thomas Becket, 29 December
- Where
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church and Archdiocesan Shrine, 59 Burgate, Canterbury, England
- Who
- All eligible faithful
- Application
- Self or the departed
The prescribed work
- Visit St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church and Archdiocesan Shrine, 59 Burgate, Canterbury, England on the local solemnity of Saint Thomas Becket, 29 December.
- Perform the visit with the disposition 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.
Titular feast-day shrine visit
Duration varies
No fixed duration; time spent making the devout visit
The operative clause sets no numerical duration and no fixed prayer text. Visit length varies.
What the time estimate excludes
- Ordinary travel to and from the venue, and waiting outside the prescribed work
- Stated start
- 16 November 2019
Occasion and source notes
Follow the shrine’s proper liturgical calendar and any lawful transfer. Under Norm 14, this day-attached church or oratory visit may be made from noon on the preceding day until midnight closing the qualifying day. The preceding date is not an all-day window; the actual feast observance, shrine access and grant validity still govern.
The parish publishes the complete decree attributed to Archbishop John Wilson and his chancellor. The original signed instrument has not been inspected. The parish’s published proper-calendar directions identify 29 December as its titular solemnity. The partial-indulgence clause prescribes no particular prayer or minimum duration.
Source and exact reference
- St Thomas of Canterbury parish — complete archbishop’s shrine decreeDecree dated 16 November 2019; final operative paragraph grants a partial indulgence for the liturgical feast-day visit
- St Thomas of Canterbury parish — proper celebration of Saint Thomas Becket27 December 2024; local titular solemnity on 29 December, taking precedence over the Holy Family celebration in that church
- Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, fourth edition (1999)Norms 13–14; preceding-noon window for an indulgence attached to a day and requiring a church/oratory visit, including partial indulgences
Prayer texts and grants have separate source histories. Consult the grant source for the prescribed work, occasion, and conditions.