Monday, March 13, 2006

Arlington Gets The Indult!!!

No, not that one, you dolt -- THIS one:

"Although Roman Catholics over the age of 14 are obliged to abstain from eating meat on the Fridays of Lent, Catholics of the Diocese of Arlington are dispensed from this obligation on March 17, 2006, in observance of Saint Patrick’s Day as long as they choose another day during the week..."

Personally, I'm choosing Wednesday, which was a traditional day for abstinence during Lent, in addition to abstinence year-round on Friday. So that no one thinks the Church is going to the dogs over this one, a similar decree in past generations was not unusual for Saint Joseph's Day, which falls on a Sunday this year. (UPDATE: The observance of Saint Joseph is transferred to the following Monday, and Rocco Palmo tells us how the Italians celebrate it.)

3 comments:

Jeff Miller said...

Is an indult required when St. Joseph's feast falls on a Friday during Lent? Since the feast day is a solemnity isn't the requirement of abstinence from meat technically abrogated even if it falls on a Friday?

Anonymous said...

Yes Jeff it is. It was, who knows what the term is now, a First Class Feast. St. Patrick's is a Second Class Feast, or was.

Anonymous said...

Saint Patrick's Day was never a second class feast day. In Ireland it is a first class feast day -- everywhere else it is a third class feast day. That means the Mass of the feria -- the Friday after the 2nd Sunday in Lent -- is said with a commemoration of Saint Patrick.