NY, NJ Catholics get green light to eat meat this St. Patrick's Day, despite Lent restrictions

NEW YORK (PIX11) — Corned beef can stay on the menu for New York and New Jersey Catholics this St. Patrick’s Day, local religious leaders have reportedly ruled, granting a dispensation to eat meat despite the holiday falling on a Friday during Lent.

Many observant Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during the solemn 40-day period.

But, in a nationwide survey of Catholic dioceses conducted by the National Catholic Register, local leaders gave the green light to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with meat.

The Diocese of Brooklyn, which also covers Queens, reportedly gave its blessing, as did the Archdiocese of New York, which includes Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, plus Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster counties. The Diocese of Rockville Center, which covers most of Long Island, signed off too.

All of New Jersey’s dioceses also approved, according to the report.

Some dioceses, though, asked that those taking advantage of the dispensation do good deeds as a replacement. The Archdiocese of New York, for example, reportedly urged members “to choose another day of penance during the week as part of the Lenten observances or to creatively make a gift to one of our food pantries or soup kitchens to ensure the poor will eat.”

Nationally, 72.6% of the country’s 176 dioceses granted some level of dispensation, with all but two dioceses responding to the survey.