I’m sure this will make Rocco’s heart leap. Those of us who are just a short train ride away will be joining him in the City of Brotherly Love to share the joy — and be a little indulgent:

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is honoring its 200th anniversary by offering its members a plenary indulgence, a practice begun in the Middle Ages that remains controversial and often confounding today.

An indulgence, according to the church, allows Catholics who perform certain acts to shorten the time after death that their souls will have to spend in purgatory to atone for their sins.

“It adds to the joy of the occasion, it allows each person a participation in the event, and it provides a lasting souvenir,” Cardinal Justin Rigali (seen on the left)told the archdiocese’s 1.5 million members in a recent letter.

Plenary indulgences are relatively rare and typically require a pilgrimage to a shrine. Pope John Paul II granted a worldwide plenary indulgence for the Jubilee Year of 2000.

Between now and the final bicentennial Mass of April 13, local Catholics seeking an indulgence must make a pilgrimage to an area shrine or special bicentennial Mass, make an act of sacramental confession and receive communion around the time of a pilgrimage, and pray for the intentions of the pope.

Some of us need all the help we can get. Philadelphia, here I come.

Photo: Justin Cardinal Rigali from the Holy See Press Office