If You’re Catholic, You Can Eat Meat This Friday Thanks to St. Joseph

If you're Catholic, you're not eating meat on Fridays because of Lent. However today is St. Joseph's Day, and that means you can actually eat whatever you want, including meat. Here's why...

Today, March 19, is St. Joseph's Day, also known as the "Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph" The Joseph we're talking about here is Joseph, the Virgin Mary's husband and father of Jesus.

According to Code of Canon Law “Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday”.

Obviously, St. Joseph's Day doesn't always fall on a Friday during Lent, but when it does, the Catholic Church temporarily lifts any type of fasting or abstinence from meat.

From aleteia.org -

"Bishops don’t have to make any special proclamation when St. Joseph’s feast day lands on a Friday, as it is already a written rule that the solemnity supersedes the obligation to abstain."

Because I like to help, below are the next four upcoming St. Joseph Days that will fall on Fridays during Lent so you can plan ahead accordingly.

Friday, March 19, 2027
Friday, March 19, 2032
Friday, March 19, 2038
Friday, March 19, 2049