Archdiocese clears Houston Catholics to eat meat on St. Patrick’s Day Friday
St Patrick #StPatrick
This Friday, local Catholics would have been faced with a unique problem since St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday during Lent—a day when Catholics are typically asked to abstain from meat. However, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has granted a dispensation for all local Catholics—no matter where they are—to be exempt from the usual obligation in honor of the Memorial of St. Patrick, a friendly social celebration for many American Catholics.
“After consideration of the traditions often related to this festive holiday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is granting a dispensation from meat on March 17, 2023, for local and visiting faithful in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston,” the archdiocese said in a March 3 statement. “While it is not required that anyone make use of this dispensation, those who do wish to make use of it are encouraged to do an extra act of charity or penance in exchange for eating meat on that day.”
St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday held each year on March 17 in honor of the patron Saint of Ireland credited with bringing Christianity to the country. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, St. Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but later returned about 432 CE to convert the Irish to Christianity. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday and holy day of obligation. In the U.S., St. Patrick’s Day has been transformed into a largely secular holiday and celebration of all things Irish.
During the Lenten season, a 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday), Catholics traditionally abstain from eating meat on Fridays. During the season, Catholics also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This year is the 33rd time St. Patrick’s Day has fallen on a Friday during Lent, according to the National Catholic Register. However, not all Catholics have been granted the dispensation from abstinence. Per the Catholic newspaper, only 105 of the country’s diocesan bishops have announced some relief for St. Patrick’s Day.