The Heroic Act

The Heroic Act is a practice of piety where a person offers all earned indulgences, expiatory works, and prayers to God for the souls in purgatory.

Pat McCloskey, OFM, notes that the Theatine Order has encouraged this practice. According to T.C. O’Brien in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion, the act is considered heroic due to the complete selflessness required to offer any and all merits gained during life and after death.

This practice differs from Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s act of total consecration to Mary, which involves dedicating one's entire self, possessions, and the merits of good actions to her for all eternity. It also differs from the offerings of victim souls, who accept suffering to unite themselves with Christ's atonement for sin. O'Brien suggests that the offering made by victim souls should not be undertaken lightly or without the permission of a spiritual director.