Catholic School Fundraiser Meat Friday

[12345678]

How do you feel about a Catholic school selling meat on Friday in their fund raiser carnival/fair? It is open to the community and they will be selling other items as well as meat (although most main meals are meat), and they are selling meat the whole time the fair is going on.
I was told it is because non-Catholics will be there too… but I don’t feel comfortable as a Catholic adult to be cooking and serving meat at an activity sponsored by a Catholic school, and potentially to some of the parents of students. I know each person is responsible of making sure that they personally avoid meat, but even if just one Catholic adult that would not have consumed meat consumes it because of the fair I would feel awful for having served it to them. A lot of the families there will be Catholic, and they will be able to sell the meat/raise funds other days that the fair is going on.

Also, wouldn’t it be potentially a little good to encourage all to avoid meat on Fridays during Lent (by encourage, I just mean not make it available)? Or, wouldn’t it be good to at least lead by example? This school does not serve meat on Fridays during Lent although all students are under the age of actually morally needing to avoid meat. They encouraged fasting on Ash Wednesday (although all students are also under that age).

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Also, wouldn’t it be potentially a little good to encourage all to avoid meat on Fridays during Lent (by encourage, I just mean not make it available)?

It would be good to encourage all Catholics to avoid meat on Fridays, whether non-Catholics do or not is unimportant as far as I know.

 

[jediliz]

they should just have a fish fry and have vegetarian lasagna, meatless spaghetti, mac and cheese and other meatless things available. They are a CATHOLIC school so they should conform to the FRIDAY Lenten Abstinence.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

How do you feel about a Catholic school selling meat on Friday in their fund raiser carnival/fair? It is open to the community and they will be selling other items as well as meat (although most main meals are meat), and they are selling meat the whole time the fair is going on.
I was told it is because non-Catholics will be there too… but I don’t feel comfortable as a Catholic adult to be cooking and serving meat at an activity sponsored by a Catholic school, and potentially to some of the parents of students. I know each person is responsible of making sure that they personally avoid meat, but even if just one Catholic adult that would not have consumed meat consumes it because of the fair I would feel awful for having served it to them. A lot of the families there will be Catholic, and they will be able to sell the meat/raise funds other days that the fair is going on.

Also, wouldn’t it be potentially a little good to encourage all to avoid meat on Fridays during Lent (by encourage, I just mean not make it available)? Or, wouldn’t it be good to at least lead by example? This school does not serve meat on Fridays during Lent although all students are under the age of actually morally needing to avoid meat. They encouraged fasting on Ash Wednesday (although all students are also under that age).

Just to be clear: Is this “carnival/fair” during Lent, or after Lent?

 

[Jon_S_1]

Just to be clear: Is this “carnival/fair” during Lent, or after Lent?

My question too! It seems odd it have a carnival during Lent.

 

[tawny]

they should just have a fish fry and have vegetarian lasagna, meatless spaghetti, mac and cheese and other meatless things available. They are a CATHOLIC school so they should conform to the FRIDAY Lenten Abstinence.

 

[12345678]

Just to be clear: Is this “carnival/fair” during Lent, or after Lent?

During Lent

 

[KrazyKat]

They obviously need to raise funds. I cannot find it in my heart to judge their decision. Have not seen a parish that has not made a questionable decision at one time or another.

 

[12345678]

They obviously need to raise funds. I cannot find it in my heart to judge their decision. Have not seen a parish that has not made a questionable decision at one time or another.

I’m not trying to judge. I’m a parent at the school debating whether or not my concern is reasonable/ whether I should approach the school to see if there is a reason other than potential revenue that is influencing their decision. I have children at the school and sacrifice a lot so they can attend that school. It is in my heart to not sit on the sidelines and instead take action when I feel I need to take action to help our school and/or bring something to the attention of the teacher/principal/staff/whoever is relevant (when I notice something that is questionable etc). My children have noticed that they will be selling meat on a Friday, and we already talked about it. I have been approached requesting I volunteer to sell meat Friday (I already volunteered a different day).

 

[Zachary]

It’s not that hard to avoid meat. The difficulty may be in raising enough funds by attemtpting to sell products that are not as popular.

I don’t know if it’s really “a sin” (for lack of better words) to sell meat on a Friday during Lent at a fundraising carnival. Now, if they had a “rainbow kissing booth” hosted by Planned Parenthood …

 

[Zachary]

I’m not trying to judge. I’m a parent at the school debating whether or not my concern is reasonable/ whether I should approach the school to see if there is a reason other than potential revenue that is influencing their decision. I have children at the school and sacrifice a lot so they can attend that school. It is in my heart to not sit on the sidelines and instead take action when I feel I need to take action to help our school and/or bring something to the attention of the teacher/principal/staff/whoever is relevant (when I notice something that is questionable etc). My children have noticed that they will be selling meat on a Friday, and we already talked about it. I have been approached requesting I volunteer to sell meat Friday (I already volunteered a different day).

A) talk to your priest or bishop for perspective
B) try the ask an apologist forum; insight from Fr. Serpa may be helpful

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

It’s obviously too late to change the date now, but when they were planning this event I wonder why they didn’t put it off a couple of weeks until Lent was over. That would have resolved everything. (And I hope that if it’s on a Friday, even outside of Lent, that they would have non-meat dishes for those who observe abstinence year-round as well as for vegetarians.)

 

[KrazyKat]

I’m not trying to judge. I’m a parent at the school debating whether or not my concern is reasonable/ whether I should approach the school to see if there is a reason other than potential revenue that is influencing their decision. I have children at the school and sacrifice a lot so they can attend that school. It is in my heart to not sit on the sidelines and instead take action when I feel I need to take action to help our school and/or bring something to the attention of the teacher/principal/staff/whoever is relevant (when I notice something that is questionable etc). My children have noticed that they will be selling meat on a Friday, and we already talked about it. I have been approached requesting I volunteer to sell meat Friday (I already volunteered a different day).

I can understand completely why you would want answers. We should not tell our children one thing and then do another. When you were approached to participate would have been a good time to voice your concern. There are many good foods that are meatless.

Sorry if you took offense, I was not insinuating that you were judging, was just saying I could not although I find it offensive to sell meat on any Friday, not just during Lent.

 

[lola5555]

I can understand completely why you would want answers. We should not tell our children one thing and then do another. When you were approached to participate would have been a good time to voice your concern. There are many good foods that are meatless.

Sorry if you took offense, I was not insinuating that you were judging, was just saying I could not although I find it offensive to sell meat on any Friday, not just during Lent.

I think I’d be confused if I saw meat for sale on a Friday and kind of wonder what kind of school it really was (like, “Is this school Catholic in name only?”). I agree I’d find it offensive on any Friday, though I wouldn’t freak out or anything.

 

[Bklynguy]

How do you feel about a Catholic school selling meat on Friday in their fund raiser carnival/fair? It is open to the community and they will be selling other items as well as meat (although most main meals are meat), and they are selling meat the whole time the fair is going on.
I was told it is because non-Catholics will be there too… but I don’t feel comfortable as a Catholic adult to be cooking and serving meat at an activity sponsored by a Catholic school, and potentially to some of the parents of students. I know each person is responsible of making sure that they personally avoid meat, but even if just one Catholic adult that would not have consumed meat consumes it because of the fair I would feel awful for having served it to them. A lot of the families there will be Catholic, and they will be able to sell the meat/raise funds other days that the fair is going on.

Also, wouldn’t it be potentially a little good to encourage all to avoid meat on Fridays during Lent (by encourage, I just mean not make it available)? Or, wouldn’t it be good to at least lead by example? This school does not serve meat on Fridays during Lent although all students are under the age of actually morally needing to avoid meat. They encouraged fasting on Ash Wednesday (although all students are also under that age).

I don’t think there is necessarily a problem with this, though it seems a little odd that they are doing so. I personally would not feel apprehensive about cooking and/or serving mean–I just wouldn’t eat it.

What about a fish fry? These were common when I was growing up in Northeast Ohio, but they do not exist in Brooklyn, even though we are right on the ocean. Go figure!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Sadly, many Catholic schools see the need for dollars above the need for theology. Friday’s in lent? No carnivals for me. Or any other serious Catholic. A fish fry with the stations of the cross and a meditation for donations would be something I would give till it hurt for.
A carnival… nope.

A carnival is historically BEFORE lent.
etymology:

Etymology[edit]

The origin of the name “Carnival” is disputed, between those that argue a link with the Italian word “carne” (meat), and those that argue a link with the word “carrus” (car). The link with carne would suggest an origin within Christianity, while the link with carro with earlier religions.
From carne levare[edit]
Those that argue for the origin from “carne”, point to variants in Italian dialects that would suggest that the name comes from the Italian carne levare or similar, meaning “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent.[2]
From carne vale[edit]
Folk etymologies[2] exist which state that the word comes from the Late Latin expression carne vale, which means “farewell to meat”, signifying that those were the last days when one could eat meat before the fasting of Lent. The word carne may also be translated as flesh, so suggesting carne vale as “a farewell to the flesh”, a phrase actually embraced by certain Carnival celebrants who encourage letting go of your former (or everyday) self and embracing the carefree nature of the festival. However, explanations proceeding from carne vale seem to be folk etymologies and are not supported by philological evidence.[2]
From carrus navalis[edit]
Other scholars argue for the origin from the Roman name for the festival of the Navigium Isidis (ship of Isis), where the image of Isis was carried to the sea-shore to bless the start of the sailing season.[3] The festival consisted of a parade of masks following an adorned wooden boat, that would reflect the floats of modern Carnivals.[4] Modern Carnival shares resemblances with the Navigium Isidis.[5]