Here are the relevant canons.
**Canon 1250 **All Fridays through the year and the time of
Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.
Canon 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless (
nisi) they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on
Ash Wednesday and on the
Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Canon 1252 All persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors and parents are to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.
It appears that your father must still abstain but is not required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Remember, ‘Meatless’ is not that difficult for the older person especially one who is accustomed. (My mother just turned 79 so I understand to a great extent). Peanut butter, grilled cheese, tuna are standbys along with tomato soup, fish sticks, cheese pizza, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, waffles. . .there is no law that breakfast foods are only for breakfast and my mother often enjoys them for Friday’s dinner.
And solemnities falling on Friday are not uncommon. Frankly, I find it easier to keep Fridays meatless even if they are solemnities. I mean, there’s 6 other days in a given week to have meat.
I can remember the times before microwaves, etc. when it was much more difficult to prepare ‘separate’ meals, etc. God bless you and your father. Tell him he doesn’t have to FAST any more, bless his heart, but we need him to show all those ‘young’uns’ that if HE can abstain at his age, they should be ashamed NOT to in the ‘fullness of their strength.’
