The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-25
SEASON.
Annual Forty Days Fast Began
this Week Wednesday
SERVICES IN CHURCHES
Bishop Tr0beC of St. Cloud Issues
Rules for the Guidance of His
People in Lent

Lent began on Wednesday-Ash
Wednesday, the customary SER
vices were held in ST. Paul's Catholic
church. Bishop Trobec of St. Cloud
has sent out the following instructions
for the guidance of all Catholics in
the diocese:
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday,
Feb. 24th. All the faithful, unless
legitimately excused or dispensed, are
bound in conscience, under the penalty
of grievious sin, to observe the Lenten
regulation.
THE LENTEN FAST
All the days of Lent, the Sundays
excepted, are days of fast.
The precept of fast restricts the
use of food to one full meal towards
the middle of the day, and collation.
in the evening not exceeding the
fourth part of full meal custom,
however, authorizing the taking in the
morning of a cup of coffee, tea or
chocolate, with small piece of bread.
For the collation. theologians allow
solid food to the amount of eight
ounces. The solid food taken in the
morning should not exceed two ounces.
When the full meal or principal re-
past cannot be taken without serious
inconvenience towards the middle of
the day, the order of repasts may be
reversed, the full meal or principal re-
past being taken in the evening, and
the collation. at an earlier hour of the
day.
THE LENTEN ABSTINENCE
The use of flesh meat is allowed at
all meals on Sundays, and at the prin-
cipal meal on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays, except the
Saturday of Ember week and the Sat
urday Of Holy week. f.
The use of flesh meat therefore, is
forbidden at all meals on Wednesdays,
Fridays, the Saturday of Ember week
and the Saturday of holy week; and
on other days, outside of Sundays, 1t
is forbidden at other repasts, outside
the one full meal.
The use of lard is permitted at all
times in the preparation of food.
Both fish and flesh meat cannot be
taken at the same meal, even on Sun
days.
Persons legitimately excused or dis
pensed from the precept of fasting
may use flesh meat at all meals on
whatever day there is a general per.
mission to use it at the principal meal.
EXEMPTIONS FROM FAST AND ABsTI.
NENCE
From the precept of fast are excus-
ed: Those under the age of twenty
one years or over the age Of sixty; the
infirm and the convalescent, women
bearing or nursing children; persons
engaged in hard labor or other duties
exhaustive Of physical strength; per-
sons who from poverty are unable to
procure for the principal meal suffi-
cheney of nutritive food.
From the precept of abstinence are
excused: the young under the age OF
seven years; the sick, persons who are
so situated as not to be able to pro-
cure for themselves abstinence food.
EXEMPTION FOR WORKING PEOPLE
In virtue of the authority conceded
to bishops in the United States by a
recent Pontifical Indult, permission is
granted to working people" to use
meat on all days of Lent, with the ex-
ception Of Fridays, Ash Wednesday,
the Wednesday and the Saturday of
Holy Week. =
This dispensation from abstinence
extends to all three meals in the day.
The usual prohibition remains
against using flesh meat and fish at the
same meal.
Where the wage-earner, in virtue of
the Indult, uses meat, all the MEM
bers of his household may likewise use
it. The church does not wish to i'm
pose upon the household inconven-
ience of double cooking. But, in cases
of this kind, the members of the
household who are bound by the pre-
cept of fast, are allowed the use of
meat only at their principal meal.
] The Sovereign ontiffexhorts all who
make use of the privileges of the In
dult to be still mindful of their duty
to practice self-denial; and he coun-
sells that instead of the abstinence
from meat some other sacrifice of bod
lily comfort be practiced, the Sovereign
Continued on page 4