As the Church closes one calendar year and enters another, Catholics are being invited to begin 2026 with a renewed focus on gratitude, prayer, and conversion through the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
According to Catholic News Agency, the Church offers these indulgences as “a sign of God’s mercy and the desire for the sanctification of all her members.” A plenary indulgence, the agency explains, is “remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.”
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On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, the eve of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who publicly recite the ancient hymn Te Deum in thanksgiving for the year that is ending. This public act of praise has long been associated with moments of gratitude in the life of the Church.
The following day, Jan. 1, which the Church celebrates as the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the faithful may again obtain a plenary indulgence by publicly reciting the hymn Veni Creator, invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance and blessing at the beginning of the new year.
Catholic News Agency also notes that indulgences may be obtained by those who devoutly receive the papal blessing “urbi et orbi,” meaning “for the city and for the world,” whether in person or through radio, television, or the internet. Similarly, the faithful may receive the indulgence by devoutly receiving the blessing of their diocesan bishop.
To receive a plenary indulgence, the Church requires more than the performance of a specific prayer or action. According to Catholic News Agency, the faithful must be “detached from all sin, even venial sin,” and must also receive sacramental confession, Holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. While these conditions may be fulfilled a few days before or after the indulgenced act, the Church recommends that Communion and prayer be completed on the same day.
The agency further clarifies that “several indulgences can be obtained through a single confession,” though frequent participation in the sacrament of reconciliation is encouraged as a means of ongoing conversion. However, each plenary indulgence requires a separate reception of Communion and prayer for the pope’s intentions.
As Catholic News Agency explains, the prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father is ordinarily fulfilled by praying one Our Father and one Hail Mary, though the faithful may choose other prayers in keeping with their personal devotion.
The Church teaches that a plenary indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin itself, but rather “the remission of punishment for sins already forgiven,” and may be applied either to oneself or to the souls in purgatory. As Catholics step into the new year, these indulgences offer a concrete invitation to begin anew, rooted in thanksgiving, prayer, and trust in God’s mercy.
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