Lent

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PeteZaHut

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Can someone review the obligations during Lent for me.

Here’s what I think I remember (which may or may not be right):
-abstinence from meat on Fridays
-fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (along with abstinence?)

Are there no holy days of obligation besides Easter Sunday?

Are we required to go get ashes on Ash Wednesday?
 
In 2009, Ash Wednesday is February 25.

bullet In the Diocese of Baton Rouge, as in the rest of the Church in the United States, Catholics aged 18 through 59 are bound by a grave obligation to observe a solemn fast on both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics aged 14 and up are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday as well. These norms have been established by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in accord with the norms of canons 1249-1253 in the revised Code of Canon Law of 1983.

bullet To fast means to consume only one full meal a day at most, although taking of other, smaller quantities of food at the other customary mealtimes is permitted. Food and drink “between meals” (excepting only water and medicine) is not permitted on fast days.

bullet To abstain from meat means refraining from eating beef, veal, pork, or poultry at least, although not necessarily eggs, milk products, or meat broths or condiments made from animal fat. The consumption of fish, shellfish, and reptiles (e.g., turtle, alligator) is permitted if desired.

bullet In addition to the mandatory days listed above, abstinence from meat on every Friday throughout the year which is not a Solemnity, and fasting on all Lenten weekdays (especially Wednesdays and Fridays) and on Holy Saturday, is strongly recommended to all the faithful. There always remains, of course, the grave obligation to participate at Holy Mass on all Sundays and days of obligation.

bullet Each in his or her own way, every Christian is bound to do penance by virtue of divine law. Only ill health or some similar situation of urgency excuses. During the Lenten season, Christ Jesus’ own challenges to “prayer, fasting and almsgiving” are paramount (see the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Mt 6:1-6, 16-18). We seek ongoing forgiveness for sin (especially in the Sacrament of Penance) and come to appreciate ever more the great sufferings and sacrifice which Our Savior experienced for the sake of our salvation.

bullet All diocesan clergy (priests and deacons) and those religious priests who have legitimate residence and active ministry within the Diocese of Baton Rouge have been delegated the power to dispense the faithful of the diocese, in individual cases and for a just reason, from the obligation to observe a particular day of penance, or to commute some or all of its obligations to other pious works. Included in this is the faculty to dispense from the Lenten obligations to fast and abstain from meat. Yet the obligation to do some kind of penance remains a serious one, and is not taken lightly by a good Catholic.
 
On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of America made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin rite Catholics:
Code: 
In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension;
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary;
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints;
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.
This decree of the Conference of Bishops was approved and confirmed by the Apostolic See by a decree of the Congregation for Bishops (Prot. N. 296/84), signed by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, prefect of the Congregation, and dated July 4, 1992.

As President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, I hereby declare that the effective date of this decree for all the Latin rite dioceses of the United States of America will be January 1, 1993, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Given at the offices of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC, November 17, 1992.
  • Daniel E. Pilarczyk
    Archbishop of Cincinnati
    President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops
Robert N. Lynch
General Secretary
 
PeteZaHut said:
Can someone review the obligations during Lent for me.

Here’s what I think I remember (which may or may not be right):
-abstinence from meat on Fridays
-fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (along with abstinence?)

Right

Are there no holy days of obligation besides Easter Sunday?

Right, although there are two solemnities when the Gloria is sung and white vestments are worn

Are we required to go get ashes on Ash Wednesday?
Click to expand...
No, but by the size of the crowds at church you would think there is. However there is also an obligation to go to Mass on Sunday and a lot of the people on Ash Wednesday we never see duing the year at Mass
 
Are there no holy days of obligation besides Easter Sunday?
ALL Sundays are Holy Days of Obligation.
 
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