Meatless Fridays throughout the year may return to the United States

[simmie]

Okay, yes, that’s closer to what we’d ought to do. Announce it’s going to happen in 6 weeks. All the bishops go home and have a paragraph or two read, both before and after every mass for about 3 weeks running with the how and why, put it in all the diocesan papers and facebooks, and then go with it. .

This is similar to what happened in the UK before the Bishops Conference introduced it last year. I first heard about it by reading the front page of a Catholic newspaper, then the news spread. It was re-introduced on 16th September 2011 to mark a year since the Pope’s visit to the UK. At first I didn’t see the point, and had only ever abstained on Good Friday before, but having joined a Catholic youth retreat team where we abstain altogether I now see this as an important part of my faith journey and the identity of the Catholic Church.

 

[Megan7]

I don’t eat meat on Fridays, and also fast for the seminarians I sponsor.

Count me among those who never got the message about the Friday penance! I’ve wondered why, growing up, I only heard the “you don’t have to abstain from meat anymore,” but not the second part, “put another penance in its place.” It was only when I started reading on my own that I found out about it.

In my experience, it’s a way of sharing the Faith; by it people know I’m Catholic and discussions have begun from this starting point, so I think it’s a good possible point for the New Evangelization.

It was instituted last year by the bishops of England and Wales. Here’s their post on their web site:
Friday Penance
catholic-ew.org.uk/Home/News-Releases/2011/Friday-Penance/(language)/eng-GB
with a Q&A at the end.

Father Z’s blog also has discussion on this:
wdtprs.com/blog/2012/11/oldie-poll-should-the-us-bishops-implement-meatless-fridays-during-the-whole-year/

take care,
amsjj

+++
Jesus, God and man,
imprisoned by love in Thy most holy Sacrament,
have mercy upon us.

• Blessed John Henry Newman, December 22, 1851

Tú y yo sabemos por la fe que oculto en las especies sacramentales está Cristo,
ese Cristo con su Cuerpo, con su Sangre, con su Alma, y con su Divinidad,
prisonero de amor.

• San Josemaría Escrivá, 1 junio 1974

… Our Lord Himself frequently said; and it is recorded as an Apostolic tradition from Him
by St. Justin the Martyr. He says ‘Jesus often said, “They who are near Me are near a fire”’.

• Abp. W. B. Ullathorne, August 1st 1886

Thanks for the links:thumbsup:

 

[jwinch2]

I fear with such a rigid flow of things we will make the Faith into something like a factory assembly line. We only have one time to reintroduce this. Meaning, not everyone’s experience with meatless Fridays is going to be a jolt; that jolt will only happen once, if it is restored. Catholics of the future will not have that experience if this comes to happen. Their experience of it will be more natural.

I disagree, but am willing to leave it at that.

 

[Saints_Alive]

What’s wrong with that? We aren’t Baptists, nothing wrong with beer.

I grew up with no meat only on Friday’s during Lent and as a returned Catholic, let me tell you what, this past Lent was really hard. It would be really hard to go without a mushroom & swiss burger or a supreme pizza every Friday night at my Elks Lodge if this were to happen.

Well, we all just have to decide what penance means to us. As centurianguard wrote " It surely doesn’t curb any lust of the five senses."
(“It” being tasty foods and beer)

The true practice of Catholicism isn’t fun, but the rewards make up for it imo.

 

[Saints_Alive]

Ah! I agree! And you are from Kentucky, which is exactly the place I was thinking of when I recalled fish fries from my childhood! I’ve been to many there. I do remember them as being quite gluttonous, yes. But this needn’t be the way they be.

I’ve often wondered how a silent fish fry would go over. No talking in the dining area.

I know I’m dreaming here, but I think it would certainly raise an awareness of why we aren’t eating meat.

 

[revert_jen]

Per your above post, it does not appear that much more than 10% of Catholics would get it regardless.

Except…

If it is a rule it’s news. 5 or 6 prominent dissident Catholics will go on record at the major news outlets about how this is returning to the dark ages, and gee, I guess we’ll be burning Galileo again soon.*

But at least people will hear about it, and some of them will ask questions. It also might make the ears prick up for more of the 25% that attend Mass regularly.

–Jen

*Please don’t anybody tell me that Galileo wasn’t burned and didn’t live in the dark ages anyway. It was a rather feeble joke about the reporting of Catholic news at major news outlets.

 

[Crescentinus]

I find it odd that there are no suggestions of alternatives. o:

 

[TrueLight]

Excellent, thought-provoking posts iloveangels.

 

[poche]

For the most part, I have never really stopped abstaining from eating meat on Friday.

 

[MissRose73]

I would have no issue with the return of the meatless Fridays all year round with the exception of the day after Thanksgiving and if Xmas Eve or Day falls on a Friday as those days are traditionally meat filled meal days for many. Also, there should be more emphasis on penitence on Fridays of the year, perhaps with chances for people to do things like Adoration, Confession, or Stations of the Cross.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I would have no issue with the return of the meatless Fridays all year round with the exception of the day after Thanksgiving and if Xmas Eve or Day falls on a Friday as those days are traditionally meat filled meal days for many. Also, there should be more emphasis on penitence on Fridays of the year, perhaps with chances for people to do things like Adoration, Confession, or Stations of the Cross.

I really like the idea of expanding the chances for communal penance on Fridays. My parish has stations and confession every Friday in lent. Perhaps adding on the same once or twice a month during the rest of the year.

As for special dispensation for days like the Friday after thanksgiving, I believe that happened regularly onthe past. I know when st Patricks or st Joseph’s days fell on a Friday bishops would regularly issue dispensations.

 

[Liturgy_Geek_1]

I have been doing meatless Fridays since 1999 as a way to make reparations for the blasphemies committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus (this is a special promise I made to the Blessed Mother).

My abstinance has been an excellent source of witness to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I don’t make a big deal about it but when I am out with friends on a Friday they will notice that I am ordering meatless and ask about it; a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel!

I do admit that going meatless is easier during Lent because every fast food place has a fish sandwich but those go away after Lent and I stuck with McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish (or as I call it Filet-O-Penance). On the other hand, going meatless throughout the year is much more of a sacrifice when you are doing it on your own.

 

[revert_jen]

I really like the idea of expanding the chances for communal penance on Fridays. My parish has stations and confession every Friday in lent. Perhaps adding on the same once or twice a month during the rest of the year.

As for special dispensation for days like the Friday after thanksgiving, I believe that happened regularly onthe past. I know when st Patricks or st Joseph’s days fell on a Friday bishops would regularly issue dispensations.

Whenever a solemnity (like Christmas or St. Joseph) falls on a Friday, the feast “trumps” the penitential day. No special dispensation is needed. St. Patrick is just a feast, so that one would need a dispensation. As for the day after Thanksgiving, I find it a relief not to eat any meat on that day.

–Jen

 

[sedonaman]

…
Many protestants use Wednesday night prayer as this sort of cultural marker. Some also use attendance at worship both morning and evening on Sundays. Some use bible study classes or other indicators. All of these serve BOTH as 1) cultural indicators of identity and belonging, and as 2) benefits for members. …

Catholics have some things similar; they are called apostolates [although some call them ministries, which is technically incorrect, I am told]. In addition to Bible study classes, there are the various service organizations such as the Ladies Guild, Knights of Columbus, etc. I personally belong to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

 

[iloveangels]

I would have no issue with the return of the meatless Fridays all year round with the exception of the day after Thanksgiving and if Xmas Eve or Day falls on a Friday as those days are traditionally meat filled meal days for many. Also, there should be more emphasis on penitence on Fridays of the year, perhaps with chances for people to do things like Adoration, Confession, or Stations of the Cross.

Totally agree.

 

[iloveangels]

Catholics have some things similar; they are called apostolates [although some call them ministries, which is technically incorrect, I am told]. In addition to Bible study classes, there are the various service organizations such as the Ladies Guild, Knights of Columbus, etc. I personally belong to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

About the word, yes. They are apostolates, not ministries per particular directions from the Holy See. Ecclesiae de mysterio, 1997 adoremus.org/98-04_hitchcock.htm

Most catholics don’t belong to those organizations however, or any others because they simply are not available in many sections of the country on a reliable and available basis. If you’re in a big city, you have a few things, depending on the size of the city. If you’re not, you generally don’t. Also it varies geographically–some parts of the country have more Catholics than others. The eastern part of the country has a higher concentration of Catholics than the west or the south, for instance.

And our largest “apostolates” aren’t even open to lay Catholics. They’re done by employees with millions of dollars of government money via contracts with grants. The employees are a mixture of Catholics and non-Catholics. This is how Catholics can get away with being very low tithers and still have many institutions that say Catholic on the sign out front of the building. The HHS mandate may soon change all that however.

 

[SMHW]

Whenever a solemnity (like Christmas or St. Joseph) falls on a Friday, the feast “trumps” the penitential day. No special dispensation is needed. St. Patrick is just a feast, so that one would need a dispensation.

Remember that in many places St. Patrick’s Day IS a proper solemnity. (That would be any nation, state, diocese, or parish where St. Patrick is the principle patron saint, including the Archdiocese of New York. I’m not sure if it is true for the entire Ecclesiastical Province of New York.)

In the days when first or second generation clergy seemed to dominate in the United States it was pretty common that they wanted to see St. Patrick’s Day celebrated as a solemnity as it is in Ireland. As such, the dispensations were pretty common. St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City calls itself “America’s parish church” although that is merely a sentimental idea.

As an aside, I like Auckland, New Zealand’s way of handling things. They have both St. Patrick and St. Joseph as patron saints as their cathedral is named for both saints.

 

[SMHW]

I would have no issue with the return of the meatless Fridays all year round with the exception of the day after Thanksgiving and if Xmas Eve or Day falls on a Friday as those days are traditionally meat filled meal days for many.

Not to get too far off topic… But traditionally Christmas Eve was a day of abstaining from meat whether it was on a Friday or not.

 

[maryjk]

I know most people seem to think this is a great idea. But really and truly? I don’t. What a nightmare.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I know most people seem to think this is a great idea. But really and truly? I don’t. What a nightmare.

A nightmare? To not eat meat on Friday? I think I must be misunderstanding. I’ve been abstaining from meat on every Friday of the year for years and years. It really isn’t that difficult to do, though I do miss meat at times more than at other times, like if we are having a family celebration or something. Anyway, I think I am misunderstanding what is a nightmare.

In any event, as Catholics, we are required to do a Friday penance and that has been the case for at least my entire lifetime, so abstaining from meat on Friday for me has been a natural choice. I’ve just continued it from childhood. It is a small sacrifice, a small penance.