The Irish standard., 1917-01-06
PLENARY INDULGENCE GIVEN
eY POPE FOR ENTERING
CHURCH UNITY
OCTAVE.

The Church Unity Octave, an eight
day period of prayer for unity among
Christians, promoted by the Society
of the Atonement, a religious congre-
CATION of monks and nuns who came
to the Catholic Church in body from
Episcopalianism some years ago, has
been extended to the universal church
and enriched with a plenary indul-
gence by Pope Benedict XIV. The oc-
.tave was founded by the society when
it was an Anglican order. Through
the kindness of the Rev. Paul James
Francis, of the Society of the Atone
ment, The Register is able to present
the apostolic brief in full:
BENEDICT XIV, POPE
For a Perpetual Remembrance.
In every age it has been the con-
cern of the Roman Pontiffs, Our Pred
ecessors, and likewise it concerns us
very much, that Christians who have
unfortunately withdrawn from the
Catholic religion should at length be
recalled to it as to forsaken Mother.
For in the Unity of Faith the foremost
characteristic of the truth of the
Church shines forth, and it is thus
that the Apostle Paul exhorts the
Ephesians to preserve the unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace, by pro-
claiming that there is one Lord, one
Faith, one Baptism" Gv-5). With a
glad mind, therefore, we have heard
from the society which is called "of
the Atonement," established in New
York, that prayers have been pro-
posed to be recited from the Feast of
the Chair of Blessed Peter of Rome
to the Feast of the Conversion of St.
Paul, in order that this aim of Unity
might be obtained from the Lord and
at the same time we rejoiced that
these prayers, blessed by Pope Plus
the Tenth, Of recent memory, and ap-
proved by the Bishops of America,
have been circulated far and wide
through the United States. And So
in order that the prayers above men.
toned may be offered to God every.
where and with abundant fruit of
souls and thus the desired end may be
more easily attained, we, having also
consulted Our Venerable Brethren,
the Cardinal Inquisitors General OF
the Holy Roman Church, mercifully
grant and bestow in the Lord plen.
ary Indulgence and remission of all
their sins to each and all the faith.
full of Christ of either sex in the whole
world, who, from the 18th day of the
month of January, the Festival of the
Chair of Blessed Peter at Rome, un.
til the 25th day of the same month
OH which the Conversion of St. Paul
is commemorated, shall recite every
year once day the prayers which
are subjoined and on the last day of
| IAA' oSI"sO, u uly pCAlIouC duU COIl'
fessed and refreshed with Holy Com.
munion, shall visit any church or pub
lie oratory and there say these prayers
to God for the concord of Christian
rulers, the eXtirpation of heresies, the
conversion Of sinners and for the ex-
altation of our Holy Mother the
Church. Moreover, we also grant per-
mission in virtue of which confession
may be made and Holy Communion
received, and the visit be made in or
der to gain the aforesaid plenary in
diligence, on the Feast of the Chair
of Blessed Peter in Rome. Further
more, to these same faithful, who,
with at least contrite heart, say on
any of the eight days named these
same prayers, we grant all indulgence
of two hundred days from the pen
ances imposed upon them or owing by
them in any other way, according to
the usual form of the Church. We
mercifully grant in the Lord that all
these indulgences, remissions of sins,
and relaxations of penances may be
applied in behalf of the souls of the
faithful in Christ detained in purga-
tory. This present letter will be in
force forever; anything to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. The prayers,
however, which are to be recited for
the Unity of the Church during the
octave, we have ordained, as above,
are to be as follows, and lest any
changes might creep into them, we
have decreed that copy of them is
to be kept in the Archives of the
Apostolic Briefs.
Antiphon - John xvii-2D. That
they all may be One as Thou, Father,
in Me, and I in Thee; that they may
also be One in Us, that the world may
believe that Thou hast sent Me.
v. l say to thee that thou art
Peter.
r And unou thia rool. 7 x,,}lI h,,;,a