DETROIT — Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron has designated eight local churches as pilgrimage sites for local Catholics to obtain a plenary indulgence in accordance with the Year of Faith.

The indulgences stem from Pope Benedict XVI’s decree “Urbis et Orbis,” which states the faithful may obtain the indulgences in a spirit of penitence after having received absolution and penance through sacramental confession, Holy Communion and having prayed for the intentions of the pope.

The pope’s monthly prayer intentions can be found at www.ewtn.com/faith/papalprayer.htm. For March, they include “that respect for nature may grow with the awareness that all creation is God’s work entrusted to human responsibility,” and “that bishops, priests, and deacons may be tireless messengers of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.”

An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to sin, and can only be received while in a state of grace. It can be applied either to those on earth or in purgatory, and can be either partial or plenary (full).

“Through the wisdom of age, the Church has come to see that extraordinary acts of faith, in turn, bring about extraordinary grace,” Archbishop Vigneron wrote in a letter published Feb. 22.

The eight pilgrimage churches include the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit; St. Anne de Detroit; St. Anne, Monroe; St. Anne, Ortonville; St. Anne, Warren; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Plymouth; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Emmett; and Shrine Chapel of Our Lady of Orchard Lake.

Other ways for Catholics to obtain an indulgence during the Year of Faith are laid out in the pope’s decree. In all such cases, valid reception of the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion and prayers for the pope’s intentions.

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Read the full text of the archbishop’s letter at www.aod.org.