The Pipes, the Pipes are Calling

Once again it has come time for me to write on one of my favorite topics… St. Patrick’s Day. Since I was a wee lad this day has held great excitement and cause for celebration.

Growing up as an Irish Catholic a confrontation of beliefs would gather around this blessed day from time to time. March 17th has historically land right in the middle of the Catholic Season know as Lent. While this is not really a problem most years, this year we come upon a dangerous mix of these 2 celebrations… for St. Patty’s Day lands on a Friday. During lent one of the ways that the Catholic Church comes together in sacrifice and remembrance is the abstaining of eating meat on Fridays. However if you were to have a traditional Irish dinner you could not go with out the corn beef and cabbage.

There it is… the issue that we Irish Catholics must wrestle with. Luckily a few weeks ago the bishop of my parent’s diocese (who is an ardent Irish Catholic) excused Catholics who wished to eat meat in a traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration. (St. Patrick is a Catholic Saint after all.)

What does this mean for me? Well I don’t think that I or any other Catholic will be going to hell for eating meat on a Friday, but it is nice to know that we are able to respect the beliefs of 2 traditions at the same time.

(Heading lyrics – O Danny Boy by Londonderry Air)