Indulgences for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Note: All is taken from the Raccolta

Chaplet of the Five Wounds

At the prayer of the Congregation of Discalced Clerks of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ here in Rome, in the Retreat of SS. John and Paul, Pope Leo XII, of holy memory, by a decree of the S. Congr. of Indulgences, dated Dec. 20, 1823, granted the following Indulgences to all the faithful who, being contrite of heart, shall say with devotion the Chaplet of the Five Wounds of our Divine Redeemer, Jesus Christ, at the same time meditating upon them.

i. An indulgence of one year, to be gained once a day by saying this chaplet.

ii. A plenary indulgence (besides the above partial Indulgence) three times a year, that is on any one Friday in March, on the Feast of the Invention, and of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, or on any one day in the octave of these feasts, to all who shall have practised the devotion of saying this Chaplet at least ten times each month provided that on the aforesaid day, being truly penitent, having confessed and received the Holy Communion, they shall pray according to the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. The Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX., by a decree of the S. Congr. of Indulgences, dated August 11, 1851, extended this Plenary Indulgence to the feasts of this Nativity, Circumcision, and Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, the feasts of His Most Holy Name, Easter Sunday, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, and the Transfiguration, or any one day in the octaves of these feasts, on the same conditions as above.

iii. An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines to all who shall say this Chaplet from Passion Sunday to holy Saturday inclusive; and the plenary indulgence, when they fulfil the Paschal precept. The condition of gaining all these Indulgences is, that the Chaplet used should be blessed by the most reverend the Father-General of the said Congregation, or by some other priest of the Congregation to whom the General has communicated the faculty received by him in virtue of the above-named decree; after they have been blessed, they cannot be sold or lent, or given away to others, &c., for the purpose of communicating to them the Indulgences, according to the general decrees of the S. Congr. of Indulgences, dated Feb. 6, 1657, June 5, 1721, and Feb. 9, 1820.

This chaplet consists of five sets, of five beads each; and at each one of these beads, in memory of the Five Wounds of Jesus Christ, one Gloria Patri is to be said; and at the end of each set of five, one Ave Maria is added in devotion to our Lady's sorrows.

Prayers to the Five Holy Wounds

Pope Pius VII., by a Rescript of time S. Congr. of Indulgences, dated Sept. 29, 1807, granted -

i. The indulgence of 100 days, daily, to all the faithful who shall devoutly recite the following prayers to the Five Sacred Wounds of Jesus Christ.

ii. The plenary indulgence, besides the above partial Indulgence, twice a year, - that is, on the two feasts, first, that of the Invention (May 3), and, secondly, that of the Exaltation, of the holy Cross (Sept. 14), - to all who shall say these prayers at least ten times a month, if, after having Confessed and Communicated on the above-named feast, they shall visit a church, and pray there according to the mind of the Sovereign Pontiff.

iii. The indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines, daily, to those who say these prayers from Passion Sunday to Holy Saturday, inclusive. Plenary on Easter Day, if, after Confession and Communion on that day, they should visit and pray as aforesaid.

THE PRAYERS.

Act of Contrition.

As I kneel before Thee on the cross, most loving Saviour of my soul, my conscience reproaches me with having nailed Thee to that cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearying Thee with my monstrous ingratitude.  My God, my chief and most perfect Good, worthy of all my love, for the many blessings Thou hast ever bestowed upon me; I cannot now undo my misdeeds as I would most willingly; but I will loathe them, grieving greatly for having offended Thee who art Infinite Goodness!  And now, kneeling at Thy feet, I will try at least to compassionate Thee, to give Thee thanks, to ask of Thee pardon and contrition; wherefore with heart and lips I say:

To the first Wound, of the Left Foot.

Holy wound of the Left Foot of my Jesus!  I adore Thee, I compassionate Thee for the most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer.  I thank Thee for the love whereby Thou wast wearied in overtaking me on the way to ruin, and didst bleed amid the thorns and brambles of my sins.  I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, in atonement for my sins, all which I detest with sincere and bitter contrition.

Pater noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Second Wound, of the Right Foot.

Holy wound of the Right Foot of my Jesus!  I adore Thee, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain which Thou didst suffer.  I thank Thee for that love which pierced Thee with such torture and shedding of blood in order to punish my wanderings and the guilty pleasures I have granted to my unbridled passions.  I offer the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and I pray unto Thee for grace to weep over my transgressions with burning tears, and to enable me to persevere in the good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the commandments of my God.

Pater noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.


To the Third Wound, of the Left hand.

Holy wound of the Left Hand of my Jesus!  I adore Thee, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain which Thou didst suffer.  I thank Thee for having, in Thy love, spared me the scourges and eternal damnation which my sins had merited.  I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and I pray Thee to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy fruits of penance, and so disarm the justice of God, which I have provoked.

Pater noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Fourth Wound, of the Right Hand.

Holy wound of the Right Hand of my Jesus!  I adore Thee, I compassionate Thee for the bitter pain which Thou didst suffer.  I thank Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all my most perverse obstinacy.  I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most holy humanity, and I pray Thee to change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will of God.

Pater noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

To the Fifth Wound, of the Sacred Side.

Holy wound in the side of my Jesus!  I adore Thee, I compassionate Thee for the cruel insult Thou didst suffer.  I thank Thee, my Jesus, for the love which suffered Thy side and heart to be pierced, that so the last drops of blood and water might issue forth, making my redemption to abound.  I offer to the Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most holy Humanity, that my soul may enter once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and never more depart.

Pater noster. Ave Maria. Gloria Patri.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.