Dispensation granted for St. Patrick’s Day

COLORADO SPRINGS. Bishop James Golka issued the following statement regarding the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17:

“Last week we began the great and holy season of Lent, a time of preparation for Easter during which the Church asks us to intensify our prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In the United States, our Lenten regulations include the obligation of those age 14 and up to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and the Fridays during Lent. However, as the U.S. bishops noted in their 1966 ‘Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence,’ certain feasts occur during the Lenten season that suggest a more festive celebration. This year, the Memorial of St. Patrick falls on Friday, March 17. This is traditionally a day of festivity for American Catholics.

“I, therefore, decree that on March 17, 2023, all Catholics of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, no matter where they may be, and all other Catholics present in the diocese on that day, are, by my authority, dispensed from the obligation. It is not required that anyone make use of this dispensation. Those who do wish to make use of it are encouraged to abstain from meat on some other day as part of their penitential practices during Lent.”