[Alberta's Child]

Technically you might be right about that, but a true "feast day" in a Catholic context involves the celebration of the day in a religious manner as well as a temporal one. Drinking green beer, eating "Irish" fare and waving your fist at the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City while shouting "Up with the IRA!" does not constitute an appropriate celebration of the feast day, as far as I'm concerned.

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.

[q_an_a]

Just because you can does not mean you must. AS John Paul II said, "Too much Liberty makes slaves of us." He knew that we msut be careful in making choices, for the good of mankind as well as to celebrate a Feast.