Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-02-01
Special Services Will BE Held in
All the Local Catholic
Churches.
Letter From Bishop O'DOnaghue
viii BE Read To-
morrow.
EXPLANATION OF DISPENSATIONS
Second and BreekIurIdss.

The penitential season of Lent be-
gins on Ash Wednesday and ends on
Easter Sunday. The regulations for
it's observance are practically the
same as last year, and will be trans
mitted in letter from Bishop
O'Donaghue that will be read by the
pastors at the masses tomorrow.
Every day in Lent except Sunday is
a day upon which fast upon one meal
as we'll as abstinence from flesh meat
is obligatory under pain of sin. Be
cause of dispensation granted to all
it is allowed to partake of meat once
a day on all days except Wednesdays
and Fridays, the Saturday preceding
the second Sunday of Lent and Holy
Saturday. On every Sunday meat
may be used at every meal, but fish
must not be used at the same meal
with meat, nor should fish and meat
be used together at any time during
Lent. Eggs, butter, milk and cheese
are permitted, and the use of lard is
allowed for cooking.
Coffee, tea or thin chocolate with
a cracker may be taken in the morn
ing, and a collation. equivalent to
one-fourth of an ordinary meal may
be taken in the evening. AS all are
not physically able to observe the
strict fast, the church exempts the
following:
First-Those who have not COM
pleted their twenty-first year.
Second-Those who are sick or re-
covering from sickness.
Third-Delicate women and those
nuroipo childran
Fourth-All over sixty years of
age.
BY a special dispensation of the
Holy See, all who are engaged in
hard labor are not obliged to fast,
nor are they obliged TO abstain from
meat except on Ash Wednesday, the
Wednesday and Saturday OF Holy
Week, the Vigil of Christmas, and
every Friday. The families also OF
laboring men are not obliged to fast,
but while the laboring man may
partake of meat at all meals, the
family otherwise not exempt can not
partake of meat except at the prin-
cipal meal AS these dispensations
are granted because of inability to
observe the law, those who are dis
pensed should not forget the pen
itential character of the Lenten sea-
son. nor the object of the church in
instituting 1t, hence instead OF the
fast or abstinence from which, for
the foregoing reasons, they may be
excused. other works of penance
should be performed, such as abstin-
ence from liquors, sweets, tobacco,
amusements, etc, and more partic-
ularly should they be assiduRus IN
correcting sinful or disedifying
habits.
Every one should attend pune
tually and regularly the devotions on
Sunday and Wednesday nights on
which instruction on religious OBJ
iects will be given, and on Friday
nights to make the Way OF the
Cross. The time for complying with
the obligation of the Easter precept
begins with the first Sunday In Lent
and ends on Trinity Sunday.
During this holy season Catholics
will recall that the necessity for
time of penance is not diminished as
the world grows older, but on the
contrary is becoming more requisite
each year. AS the domain OF man
spreads itself so does the domain OF
Satan increase and make watchful-
ness the more necessary. Ashes are
placed upon our foreheads at the be-
gining of Lent to remind us that
in a little while we shall return to
the mould Of the earth of which We
are formed. The church established
this ceremony that In this reminder
of death we might be constantly pre-
pared for it, Now the opportunity
for the betterment Of our lives is
given us and If we let it go by with
out grasping II We may never have
another. During Lent, II you can not
observe the fast, you can certainly
mortify yourselves In various other
ways. For instance you can say a
few extra prayers, you can arise a
little earlier In the morning and at
tend daily mass, you can go to the
public recitation of the Rosary in
the evenings, you can abstain from
eating between meals, you can keep
away from theaters and dances and
parties, which however harmless they
may be, are not conducive to piety.