Those attending the 17th-Annual Catholic Family Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center June 28 to July 1 will have an opportunity to obtain a plenary indulgence.
Expo organizer Miki Hill of Woodstock received word last week from a Vatican official that plenary indulgences will be granted to anyone who attends the conference, as long as they follow through with a few church commitments.
An indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of temporal punishment due to sin that has been forgiven, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.
“This is a big deal for the people coming to the expo,” said Ms. Hill, a parishioner of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, Woodstock. “We are ecstatic.”
Organizers of the expo are anticipating between 2,000 and 3,000 people to attend the conference, which will feature speakers and subjects that reflect every aspect of Catholicism for every age, Ms. Hill said. To gain the plenary indulgence, the attendees will be required to go to confession, receive Communion and offer a prayer for the intention of the sovereign pontiff within eight days after the close of the expo, she said.
For more information about the expo, visit the Catholic Family Network Web site at https://ww.catholicfamilyexpo.org.