Religious Institute Fasting Norms (Canon Law)

[nbhart]

Does a religious institute have the canonical ability to mandate their members fast beyond the canonical norms of the Church? As an example, though the Church defines fasting as one full meal and two smaller meals which together do not equal a full, can a community restrict to only one full meal or to one full meal plus one small meal? My intuition is yes, since they are able to mandate abstinence beyond canonical norms, such as Carmelite nuns who do not eat flesh meat, but I wanted to understand if there is a difference.

 

[Cloisters]

“Sister B” on YouTube is a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco. She made a video telling of how voracious her appetite became when Ash Wednesday approached. She said she was allowed one small meal that day. So yes, depending on the praxis of the religious order’s charism, there can be other days of fasting.

Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
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