"Catholic Dioceses Grant Meat Dispensations for St. Patrick's Day"

Bishop Mark J. Seitz has granted permission to Catholics in the Diocese of El Paso to eat meat on St. Patrick's Day and the ordination of the first auxiliary bishop of El Paso, Father Tony Celino, both of which fall on Fridays during Lent. Catholics worldwide usually abstain from eating meat during the Fridays of Lent, but the Code of Canon Law allows bishops to suspend the obligation on special occasions or feasts.