“Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Sunday, January 25, 2009, 3:00 p.m., in the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who participate in this Mass and fulfill the necessary requirements.”
In observation and celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul, Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Saint Paul which began on June 28, 2008 and will conclude on June 29, 2009. In observance of the Year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has granted permission to observe the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on Sunday, January 25, 2009. Normally this feast would not be celebrated when it falls on a Sunday. However, in 2009, parishes may celebrate either the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time or they may observe the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
In a recent address to the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI summarized the purpose of the Year of St. Paul: “The Pauline Year is a year of pilgrimage, not only in the sense of an external journey towards places associated with St. Paul, but also, and above all, in the sense of a pilgrimage of the heart, together with Paul towards Jesus Christ. In a word, Paul teaches us that the Church is the Body of Christ, that the Head and the Body are inseparable and that there can be no love for Christ without love for his Church and her living community.”
The local Church is manifested most fully when the faithful, deacons and priests gather around our local pastor, Cardinal DiNardo, for the celebration of the Eucharist. Such a Mass will be celebrated on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Sunday, January 25, 2009, 3:00 p.m., in the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who participate in this Mass and fulfill the necessary requirements:
- have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
- have sacramentally confessed their sins;
- receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
- pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
Indulgences flow from God’s grace and mercy. Conditions for an indulgence require proper spiritual disposition, not a mechanical observance of prescribed actions. By prayerfully fulfilling the requirements, the faithful are drawn ever more deeply into the Divine Mercy of God. “Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory” (Catechism 1498).
For a very helpful description of indulgences and their relationship to grace and sin, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 1471–1484 (Part II, Section Two, Chapter 2, Art. 4. X, see www.usccb.org/catechism/text). More detailed information about requirements for the plenary indulgence may be found on the Office of Worship website, www.archgh.org/worship.htm.
The Diocese of Galveston-Houston has put together an excellent and in-depth website to aid the faithful in the 
