Many Catholics get green light on St. Paddy's corned beef

Corned beef and cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage

Roman Catholics in the Diocese of Jefferson City were some of the lucky ones given a "Paddy Pardon" for St. Patrick's Day.

The Washington-based Catholic News Service reports that many bishops across the country gave the green light to eat the traditional corned beef and cabbage this year, while Catholics ordinarily abstain from eating meat during the 40-day season of Lent leading up to Easter.

"I don't know how many Irish people we have in Jefferson City. We are mostly good ol' Germans, but it's definitely a nice option," said Ed Stroesser, a deacon at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Holts Summit. "It gives us a break during Lent to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and I'm sure a lot of people will take advantage of it. It wouldn't be St. Patty's Day without it."

Stroesser's church continued with its weekly Lenten fish fry Friday evening as planned.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York told parishioners in a letter in January they would be permitted to eat corned beef on the holiday.

As of late February, dioceses or archdioceses allowing the pardon also included Jefferson City as well as Baltimore; Milwaukee; St. Paul and Minneapolis; Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; and Omaha, Nebraska.

Catholics were advised that if they enjoyed the dispensation they should do an extra act of charity in exchange.

"It would be highly appropriate, and greatly encouraged, to substitute some other form of penance, prayer or almsgiving, should you choose to partake of the traditional corned beef and cabbage," the Jefferson City diocese noted on its Facebook page Friday.