To the Editor:

In response to the Sound Off “Meat Free?” Lenten fasting practices, the current regulations from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website state:

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence(from meat).

For members of the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat 1 full meal; 2 smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection.

So the meatless days are on Ash Wednesday plus all Fridays including Good Friday during Lent, not all 40 days of Lent.

Chris LaRose

Potsdam