LENTEN REGULATIONS
1. By the law of God and the custom of the Church, all Christians are
required to do penance.
2. The season of Lent retains its penitential character. The days of
penance to be observed under obligation are Ash Wednesday and all
Fridays of the Lenten season.
3. Abstinence from meat is to be observed on all Fridays of Lent. The
law of abstinence and fast is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday.
4. The law of abstinence forbids the consumption of meat. The law of
fasting permits only one full meal a day.
5. The law of abstinence binds those who have celebrated their 14th
birthday. The law of fasting binds those who have celebrated their
18th birthday and continues until they have celebrated their 59th
birthday.
6. Pastors and parents should take particular care to educate the young
to a true sense of penance and self-discipline. More frequent use of
the Sacrament of Penance and attendance at daily Mass should be
encouraged during Lent, as well as other practices of penance and
self-sacrifice.
7. The Fridays of the year outside Lent remain days of penance, but
each individual may substitute traditional abstinence from meat with
some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance.
These works should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s
call to penance and conversion of life.
8. All priests and deacons are delegated to grant dispensations to
individuals, families or groups from their parish and visiting their
parish.
