If you grew up Catholic like myself, you know during Lent you do not eat meat on Fridays. Well...it's Saint Patrick's Day and people want their corned beef and cabbage.

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As someone who spent their whole life in Catholic School, I can tell you Lent was a busy time of the year. I remember being disappointed as a kid because Friday was pizza day at school and now we had no pepperoni pizza for some reason. I was in Kindergarten and just wanted my pepperonis! (I realize I was a jerk kid)

Why Don't Catholics Eat Meat on Fridays?

The Church asked Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent in memory of Good Friday, the day the Bible says Jesus died on the cross. Meat was chosen as a sacrifice because it was a celebratory food. By abstaining, Catholics can share a common experience in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice.

What About Saint Patrick's Day?

So I saw my former Arch Diocese I grew up in over in Baltimore, Maryland released a statement saying that you could eat meat today. I was curious what the Arch Diocese for Wichita Falls said and it looks like the Diocese of Fort Worth is responsible for Wichita Falls, they released the following statement.

You may notice with this decree, Catholics are encouraged to abstain from meat on a different day other than today. So bust out the corned beef and cabbage today and when you probably have that Saint Patrick's Day hangover tomorrow. Get some lovely fried fish ready for your hangover meal. Lent is over in 2023 on Holy Thursday which is April 6th this year.