August 2 is the Franciscan Feast of the Portiuncula (The "Little Portion" - St. Mary of the Angels Church). Be sure to take advantage of this wondrous opportunity to gain the Portiuncula Indulgence!

 

What is Portiuncula? 

 

The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure:

 

”The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned. Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

 

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

 

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

 

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

 

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

 

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.”

 

It was here that he understood his vocation clearly and here that he founded the Order of the Friars Minor (1209) establishing the Portiuncula as his first home and headquarters of the Franciscan Order. The land and the Chapel were gifted to him by the Benedictines for making it the center of his new religious family. 

 

On 28 March, 1211 St. Clare, daughter of Favarone di Offreduccio received her religious habit at the Portiuncula from the hands of St Francis and so initiated the Order of the Poor Clares. 

 

In 1216, in a vision of the Blessed Mother holding the Christ Child, St Francis obtained from Jesus Himself the Indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi. Our Lord communicated to our holy founder Francis that He desired to bestow his Divine Mercy upon countless souls who entered this chapel dedicated to His Holy Mother, and would offer pardon of sin to all those who request it by means of this indulgence in honor of His Holy Mother. St. Francis revealed to Pope Honorius III the request made by Our Lord and Our Lady, and despite its highly unusual and unique character, the pope approved the indulgence. At first it was reserved for members of the Franciscan Order who made a pilgrimage to the chapel, but subsequent popes have extended this indulgence to be gained for all the faithful, living or deceased, but may only be obtained once a year, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels - August 2. The indulgence may now be gained by visiting any parish church.

 

The Portiuncula continued to be signficant in the early years of the history of the Order. Since the Portiuncola was, and is, the center of the Franciscan Order, St Francis assembled all the friars in the Chapter every year to discuss the Rule and to renew their dedication to the Gospel Life. The Chapter of Mats in 1221 was attended by more than 5,000 friars. 

 

Today the chapel of Portiuncula Chapel is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

 

The Indulgence:

 

“The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned (on behalf of Our Lord Himself) for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, had been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence”

 

August 2nd is the feast of Portiuncula. A plenary indulgence is available to anyone who will:

 

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before of after)

 

2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd

 

3. Enter a parish church and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, and a pray of his/her own choosing for the intentions of the pope.

 

The Portiuncula indulgence then is a great grace of which we, as Franciscans, should avail ourselves every year. It was offered by Our Merciful Lord Himself, in honor of His Immaculate Mother and the chapel dedicated to her, and made possible at the request of St Francis. Try to gain it. See above all, that you make a humble, contrite and sincere confession, for a good confession is the first and most necessary requisite for the forgiveness of sins and the gaining of the indulgence. Receive Holy Communion with the most profound humility and adoration. Say the prayers for an indulgence with devotion and sentiments of repentance, according to the intention of the Holy Father, and relying on the merits of Jesus Christ, on the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis, and the other saints, beseech God with confidence to impart to you the indulgence and to deliver you (or your beloved deceased) from all temporal punishments due to sin. Promise to be thankful to Him for this grace all the days of your life by carefully keeping your conscience free from even small faults. Visit the church several times and after repeating the prayers for an indulgence apply it to the poor souls that they may partake of the grace thereof. Thus the Portiuncula indulgence will be to you a key with which you will open heaven, both for yourselves and for many poor souls.