On Sunday 24 May 2026, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. It is the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room, the event which marks the birth of the Church. Few faithful, however, know that this day also contains a particular spiritual gift: the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence by devoutly taking part in the singing or solemn recitation of the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus.
What is a plenary indulgence?
An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due for sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. In other words, even after sin has been forgiven through confession, there remains a “wound” to be healed, a punishment to be expiated either in this life or in purgatory. Drawing from the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints, the Church is able to remit this temporal punishment either in full, through a plenary indulgence, or in part, through a partial indulgence. The faithful may gain it for themselves or apply it by way of suffrage to the dead, but not to other living persons.
The concession in the Manual of Indulgences
The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum of the Apostolic Penitentiary, at number 26, clearly establishes that a plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in a church or oratory, devoutly take part in the singing or solemn recitation of the hymn Veni, Creator on the first day of the year or on the solemnity of Pentecost. The same concession is also provided for the hymn Te Deum on the last day of the year. The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus, attributed to Rabanus Maurus in the ninth century, is one of the most ancient and solemn prayers of the Christian tradition, a true invocation to the Holy Spirit to descend into the hearts of the faithful.
The required conditions
In order actually to obtain the plenary indulgence, it is not enough simply to perform the prescribed work. The Manual of Indulgences, at number 20, requires the faithful to fulfil the so-called “usual conditions”:
Detachment from sin. There must be an exclusion of all attachment to sin, even venial sin. This is the most demanding interior condition: if it is lacking, the indulgence is only partial.
Sacramental confession. A sacramental confession is required, made at an appropriate time. With one confession, several plenary indulgences may be gained on different days.
Eucharistic Communion. It is necessary to receive Holy Communion, preferably on the same day on which the indulgenced work is performed.
Prayer according to the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. An Our Father and a Hail Mary are recited, or other prayers of one’s choice, according to the intentions of the Pope - not for the Pope, but for what the Pope has at heart at that moment for the Church.
The three conditions of confession, Communion and prayer for the Pope may also be fulfilled several days before or after performing the prescribed work, although it is fitting that Communion and prayer should take place on the same day. It should also be remembered that, with one Eucharistic Communion and one prayer according to the intentions of the Pontiff, only one plenary indulgence may be gained each day.
A gift not to be wasted
At a time when little is said about temporal punishment, purgatory and indulgences, it is worth rediscovering the spiritual richness of this ancient concession of the Church. Pentecost is not merely the remembrance of a historical event: it is an outpouring of grace which continues, and the plenary indulgence linked to the Veni Creator is one of the most concrete signs of this divine generosity mediated by the Church.
Those who today take part in the Holy Mass of Pentecost, during which the hymn to the Holy Spirit is sung or solemnly recited, and who fulfil the required conditions, will be able to receive - or offer for their deceased loved ones - a gift worth infinitely more than anything earthly: the full remission of the punishment due for sins.
fr.V.B.
Silere non possum