Posted on 03/16/2006 4:21:48 AM PST by Alas Babylon!
(CNSNews.com) - Many U.S. Catholics will be allowed to partake in the St. Patrick's Day tradition of corned beef and cabbage Friday, in spite of the church's restrictions on eating meat on Fridays during the Lenten season.
The Lenten observance honors the biblical account of Jesus' 40-day fast in the desert. The season begins on Ash Wednesday, which was March 1 this year, and ends on Easter Sunday, which falls on April 16 this year. The Sundays in between Ash Wednesday and Easter are excluded from the 40-day count.
Traditionally, Catholics over the age of 14 must refrain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent under the law of abstinence.
But this year, St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday, prompting almost half of the bishops in the United States to grant dispensations to allow their parishioners to eat corned beef. The dispensations allow members of the congregation to break the law of abstinence if they perform another act of penance.
According to the Catholic blogger Rocco Palma, who has followed this year's St. Patrick's Day dispensations closely on his blog -- Whispers in the Loggia -- at least 71 of the nation's 197 dioceses have granted dispensations for Friday.
Many dioceses suggest other forms of penance to make up for eating meat on Friday. Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted, in granting dispensation, suggested that those who partake in corned beef on Friday try "fasting from a television show [or] visiting someone who is sick or in prison."
Susan Gibb, a spokeswoman for the Washington Archdiocese, told Cybercast News Service that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick issued the dispensation because his predecessor, Cardinal James Hickey, granted one in 2000, the last time St. Patrick's Day fell on a Friday. McCarrick encouraged Catholics to "substitute another form of sacrifice on March 17."
Others, like Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz from Lincoln, Neb., and Bishop Carl Mengeling from Lansing, Mich., recommended that parishioners choose another day of the week to abstain from eating meat.
But a few bishops aren't granting dispensations. On his blog, Palma counts at least four dioceses - in Denver, Miami, Harrisburg, Penn., and Sioux City, Iowa - where Catholics are still expected to observe the Friday fast on March 17.
The website for the Denver archdiocese provides guidelines for the season of Lent, noting that "abstinence from meat is to be observed on all Fridays of Lent."
Jeanette DeMelo, spokeswoman for Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, told Cybercast News Service that dispensations in Denver will be made on an individual basis but that she was "not aware of pastors having granted this to someone."
She said would-be meat eaters on Friday must ask their pastor for a dispensation and must present a "good cause" for needing to eat meat on Friday. She added that parishioners would be required to abstain from meat on another day if they were granted permission.
"They might not grant it to some college students ... who just want to go out and get drunk," she joked, acknowledging that St. Patrick's Day is known for high levels of alcohol consumption.
But she said a "very Irish family" that wants to eat corned beef with their St. Patrick's Day celebration would probably have good cause for dispensation.
Father James Lyons, vicar general for the Harrisburg, Pa., diocese, told Cybercast News Service that Bishop Kevin Rhoades did not grant a general dispensation because abstaining from meat is "a very important discipline in the church" and he wanted parishioners to remember the importance of St. Patrick, who according to Rhoades, was "himself rather austere in his own spiritual life."
Erin go Bra!
Could you activate your Catholic ping list, please?
The wearin' of the green, corn beef, cabbage, and plenty of green beer.
Erin go braugh!
5.56mm
The bishops are wrong, very wrong on this one.
Erin Go Bragh - Ireland forever
I'll tell you a story of a row in the town,
When the green flag went up and the Crown rag came down,
'Twas the neatest and sweetest thing ever you saw,
And they played the best games played in Erin Go Bragh.
One of our comrades was down at Ring's end,
For the honor of Ireland to hold and defend,
He had no veteran soldiers but volunteers raw,
Playing sweet Mauser music for Erin Go Bragh.
Now here's to Pat Pearse and our comrades who died
Tom Clark, MacDonagh, MacDiarmada, McBryde,
And here's to James Connolly who gave one hurrah,
And placed the machine guns for Erin Go Bragh.
One brave English captain was ranting that day,
Saying, "Give me one hour and I'll blow you away,"
But a big Mauser bullet got stuck in his craw,
And he died of lead poisoning in Erin Go Bragh.
Old Ceannt and his comrades like lions at bay,
From the South Dublin Union poured death and dismay,
And what was their horror when the Englishmen saw
All the dead khaki soldiers in Erin Go Bragh.
Days of Penance
Can. 1249 The divine law binds all the Christian faithful to do penance each in his or her own way. In order for all to be united among themselves by some common observance of penance, however, penitential days are prescribed on which the Christian faithful devote themselves in a special way to prayer, perform works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by fulfilling their own obligations more faithfully and especially by observing fast and abstinence, according to the norm of the following canons.
Can. 1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.
Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.
Can. 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.
Feast days are an automatic exception to the Lenten Catholic tradition. The feast of St Patrick is well regarded by Pope John Paul and I've not heard any doubts from the new Pope Benedict. This does not stop any person from keeping their individual Lenten rule - but a feast is a celebration of the good Work of others in our past. CHS takes a very hard line on the rules as if there are no exceptions. So they call exceptions and feasts hypocrisy. They are wrong as Reuters. </p>
Canon Law gives the bishops the authority and freedom to grant the dispensation if they so choose.
'Nuf said.
Besides, we had our St. Patrick's Day corned beef dinner last weekend. Go figure.
Heck with corned beef and cabbage, This Scots-Irish Protestant is serving at our table “Guinness Irish Beef Stew”. Now thats worth waiting all year for.
Can you say Yummy?
Why? It's a day of recognizing the
Irish Catholic traditions and St. Patrick.
It's not as though a particular Friday of
the year is going to change one's spiritual
life. During the war dispensation for
Friday fasting was cited if that was the
only day meat was available due to rationing.
IMO, and in the opinion of the Bishops, it's
the SPIRIT of the fasting that is important,
not observance of the religious calendar.
But hey...if you feel a personal calling to
fast this Friday for St. Pat's Day...no one
is saying you MUST eat corned beef!
Peace be with you.
You must formally address your plate of corned beef, saying thus; "You were born a cow, but today you are a fish."
The Battle of the Boyne
Lesley Nelson-Burns
'A kingly host upon a stream,
a monarch camped around
Its southern upland far and wide
their white pavilions crowned;
Not long ago that sky unclouded showed,
nor beneath the ray,
That gentle stream in silver flowed
to meet the new-born day.
Peals the loud gun-its thunders boom
the echoing vales along
While curtained in its sulfurous boom
moves on the gallant thrown.
And Foot and Horse in mingled mass,
regardless all of life,
With furious ardor onward pass
to join the deadly strife.
Not strange that with such ardent flame
each glowing heart beats high,
Their battle-word was William's name
and Death and Liberty!
Then Ouldbridge, then they peaceful bowers
with sounds unwonted rang,
And Tredagh, mid thy distant towers,
was heard the mighty clang.
The silver stream is crimsoned wide
and clogged with many a corpse,
As floating down its gentle tide
co- mingled man and horse;
Now fiercer grows the battle's rage,
the guarded stream is crossed,
And furious, hand-to-hand,
engage each bold contending host.
He falls-the veteran hero falls,
renowned along the Rhine-
And he whose name, while Derry s walls
endure shall brightly shine;
Oh! would to heaven that churchman bold,
his arms with triumph blest,
The soldier spirit had controlled
that fired his pious breast.
And he, the chief of yonder brave
and persecuted band,
Who foremost rushed amid the wave
and gained the hostile strand,
He bleeds, brave Caillemonte-he bleeds
-tis closed, his bright career,
Yet still that band to glorious deeds
his dying accents cheer,
And now that well-contested strand
successive columns gain,
While backward James yielding band
are borne across the plain;
In vain the sword green Erin draws,
and life away doth fling-
Oh! worthy of a better cause
and of a bolder king.
In vain thy bearing bold is shown
upon that blood-stained ground;
Thy towering hopes are overthrown,
thy choicest fall around;
Nor, shamed abandon thou the fray,
nor blush though conquered there;
A power against thee fights today
no mortal arm may dare.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Liberty,
for her sword we draw,
And dared the battle while on high
our Orange banners flew.
Woe worth the hour- worth the state,
when men shall cease to join
Wit grateful hearts to celebrate
the glories of the Boyne!'
Paddy the famous Irishman is driving home after downing a few at the local pub. He turns a corner and much to his horror he sees a tree in the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid it and almost too late realizes that there is yet another tree directly in his path. He swerves again and discovers that his drive home has turned into a slalom course, causing him to veer from side to side to avoid all the trees.
Moments later he hears the sound of a police siren and brings his car to a stop. The officer, approaches Paddy's car and asks him what on earth he was doing.
Paddy tells his story of the trees in the road when the officer stops him mid sentence and says, "Fer Chris sakes, Paddy, that's yer air freshener!"
Cattle ranches don't exist in Ireland, for the most part. The Irish were traditionally fishermen and shepherds, and a classic Irish dish would be something like lamb stew.
5.56mm
At least New York City is on truly solid grounds when it comes to granting this kind of dispensation. St. Patrick is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of New York, so this dispensation has been pretty much written into the traditions of the archdiocese for years.
8^)
5.56mm
Great post! (I'll pretend I've known it for years if I'm out and about tomorrow.)
who cares about the corned beef and cabbage.. i want to make sure its ok for them to drink! i'm bartending tomorrow night, i want lots of patrons drinking, spending money and tipping like crazy.
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