Every few years, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday in Lent, forcing Catholics to choose between fasting from meat and celebrating the holiday with a corned beef dinner.
Thankfully, this year, area Catholics won’t have to live on cabbage alone: the archdiocese said this morning that meat is OK this Friday, as long as the faithful fast on another day.
“If a Catholic residing in the Archdiocese of New Orleans wishes to participate in St. Patrick’s Day festivities and desires to eat meat, they may be dispensed and choose another day of the week for abstinence or may choose to perform an act of penance that is a greater sacrifice,” the announcement from Archbishop Gregory Aymond said.
St. Patrick’s Day “dispensations,” or special changes to church laws, have been popping up in dioceses across the country in recent weeks. The diocese originally made the announcement in an email to local parishes last week.
Marsha Jobe • Mar 15, 2017 at 2:36 pm
Is fasting on Fridays a man-made rule, papal law, the Bible or the words of Christ? I’m so fed up with the rules changing to fit the situation! No wonder young people are leaving the church in droves! Who and what are they to believe? How important is Roman Catholic Doctrine??? The “church ” or whoever, needs to adhere to tradition and the words of Christ!
By the way, whatever happen to fasting 24 hours before receiving communion? Not being allowed to marry a non- catholic? Not allowed to be buried in a Catholic Cemetary if suicide was the cause of death? What happen to St. Christopher!? St. Patrick? The feast of the Immaculate Conception? Enough said!