Indult Scorecard, Round One (Corned Beef on St. Patty's Day - a lenten Friday?)

WITL ^ | March 2, 2006 | Rocco Palmo

[NYer]

In response to my request in the post below, many readers have been so kind as to send in replies from their home dioceses as to whether an indult will be granted to permit the eating of the sacred corned beef sandwich on St. Patrick's Day, which falls on a Lenten Friday this year.

Here are the reports to date:

• In the archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal-designate Sean Patrick O'Malley has granted the indult (there'd be a revolt if he didn't).
• In the diocese of Lincoln, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz has granted the indult, while stipulating that "those who make use of such an indult should substitute five decades of the rosary instead of observing the abstinence." Novel.
  
• In the diocese of Sioux City, Bishop Walker Nickless will not grant the indult -- a release from the chancery makes explicit note that 17 March remains a day of abstinence. As Nickless' parents ran a butcher shop in Denver, you would think that he'd be eager to help a brother out.
  
• Bishop Carl Mengeling of Lansing has dispensed from the obligation, on the condition that the faithful "choose another weekday of the Second Week of Lent as a day of abstinence from meat, in substitution for the observance" on Paddy's.
  
• In Erie, Bishop Donald Trautman has granted the indult, "only provided that [the faithful] observe abstinence on the day before, March 16, as a substitute. For those not substituting March 16 as a day of abstinence, St. Patrick’s Day remains a day of abstinence."
• In Cincinatti, Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk has granted the dispensation, suggesting that those who take it perform some other penitential act.
  
• Word from Harrisburg is that Bishop Kevin Rhoades has not conceded the indult, despite St. Patrick's place as patron of the local church and of its cathedral (a shamrock graces the middle of the diocesan arms).
  

Speaking of the capital of this fair commonwealth, Fr Ron Haney, the long-time spokesman for the Harrisburg diocese, retired from the post and active ministry last month. Rhoades has decided to seek out a layperson to fill the slot. Here's the posting. Anyone game?

Keep those indult reports comin', with all my thanks.

[NYer]

Indult Scorecard, Round Two

Just in case you forgot that St. Patrick's Day was a Catholic holiday -- or, better still, a triumph of inculturation par excellence -- this is a shot of New York's parade at its culmination point: the reviewing stand in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

With two weeks remaining until the Feast of the Apostle of Ireland, the reports keep rolling in as to whether US Catholics may partake of the sacred corned beef in their dioceses on a Lenten Friday, or whether they'll have to cross ecclesiastical lines to do so:

• In the Windy City -- where they dye the Chicago River green, literally -- Cardinal Francis George has granted the indult, asking those who make use of it "to substitute another form of penance for the Lenten Friday abstinence."
• In Milwaukee -- and you knew he would -- Archbishop Timothy Dolan (one of the few happy-go-lucky American prelates) has green-lighted corned beef on Paddy's, "with the requirement of some other act of penitence during the second week of Lent."
  
• In Brooklyn, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio has granted the indult, with no mandatory strings attached.
• Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington has conceded the dispensation, "as long as [the faithful] choose another day during the week of March 13-18 to abstain."
• Bishop Sylvester Ryan of Monterey in California has granted the dispensation, "with the requirement that the person perform some other act of either charity or self denial."
• In the diocese of Metuchen, Bishop Paul Bootkoski has "commuted" the abstinence requirement to another day in Lent, left to the discretion of the faithful who take the indult.
• Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. has not granted an indult in Denver
• Archbishop Alex Brunett has given his blessing to meaty Paddy's celebrations in Seattle
  
• And, in St. Louis, it looks like the legions of Irish in the Rome of the West will have to forgo the beef. The Lenten Regulations published by Archbishop Raymond Burke make no allowance for a dispensation for 17 March, stating that, above and beyond Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, "All other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat. Here again Catholics will not hold themselves lightly excused...." Suffice it to say, the Hibernian Society -- and the good people at Pat's Pub -- will not be pleased.
  

Keep those reports a-comin'.

[Dominick]

It has been a tradition from ancient days that St. Patrick's feast was the exception for lent.

[Aquinasfan]

What does corned beef have to do with St. Patrick? Nothing, as far as I know. OTOH, what's a St. Patrick's Day celebration without it? I'm with the bishops granting the indult, along with the request to abstain on another day. 8-)

[hilaryrhymeswithrich]

The diocese of Paterson NJ (Morris, Essex and Passiac) get to corned beef themselves, official word out next week but no specifics on whether another penance needs to be substituted.

[rogator]

Portland (Oregon) Archdiocese - Meat OK on St. Paddy's Day. No strings attached.

[SoothingDave]

OTOH, what's a St. Patrick's Day celebration without it?

As long as beer is permitted, who cares what's for dinner? ;-)

[nickcarraway]

What does corned beef have to do with a revered Italian saint? Isn't it obvious?

[NYer]

Lol! One of my coworkers is in Belgium on a tour of their breweries. He took a few changes of clothing and filled the rest of his suitcase with bubble wrap.

[SoothingDave]

Just for the record, I checked both websites and neither Pittsburgh or Greensburg have a mention of St. Patrick's day. If I recall correctly, last time this happened, Pittsburgh approved beef on Friday, Greensburg did not.

(If I cross the county line, do I obey the rules of my bishop or the one whose territory I am now in?)

SD

[Hermann the Cherusker]

It has been a tradition from ancient days that St. Patrick's feast was the exception for lent.

Only in Ireland, where it is a Holy Day of Obligation. In the rest of the Catholic world, the breaks were the Feasts of St. Joseph (3/19) and the Annunication (3/25).

[Dominick]

St. Petersburg told me that it was individual Pastors that decide if there is an indult!

Pardon me while I boggle in peace....

[SAMS]

Way up here in Northern New York, the Archdiocese of Ogdensberg, has given us permission to partake of the sacred feast of corned beef & cabbage on the 17th!!

[lrslattery]

Someone is a bit mistaken about St Louis.

This year, March 17, the Feast of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, falls on the second Friday of Lent. In light of the time-honored celebration of St. Patrick on his feast day by various parishes and groups within the Archdiocese of St. Louis, I am pleased to dispense, in accord with the norm of canon 87, §1, the just-mentioned parishes and groups, as well as the individual members of the faithful who participate in their celebrations, from the observance of Friday, March 17, 2006, as a day of abstinence from meat.

I encourage the faithful for whom the dispensation applies to choose another weekday of the Second Week of Lent as a day of abstinence from meat, in substitution for the observance on Friday, March 17.

Given at the offices of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, on the 24th day of January, the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church, in the Year of the Lord 2006.

Source: http://www.stlouisreview.com/article.php?id=10006

[Jaded]

In the most recent Texas Catholic Herald (2/24)has the instructions for the Lenten Season for the ArchDiocese of Galveston-Houston. There is NO provision listed for the Archdiocese for St. Patrick's Day in print or on their website.

http://diogh.org/Worship/lentenguidelines.htm

Let's see what DiNardo's made of.

[Northern Yankee]

Nothing from our Diocease yet, but am keeping my fingers crossed.

[RKBA Democrat]

Note that no eastern Eparchies have reported in.

Kind of a shame. I'm sure the Bishops would probably get a good laugh out of it.

[NYer]

Note that no eastern Eparchies have reported in

Probably because 'corned beef' is not a staple on any of their congregant's tables ;-)

[NYer]

Way up here in Northern New York, the Archdiocese of Ogdensberg

Eastsider and I know a priest in your diocese. We attended his Mass of Thanksgiving 3 years ago at Sacred Heart Church in Lake George, NY. Fr. David .... (I forgot his last name). Young priest.

[RKBA Democrat]

"Probably because 'corned beef' is not a staple on any of their congregant's tables ;-)"

True enough. Would you like a slice of corned beef with your tabouleh? :-)