So..When is St. Patrick's Day?

St. Patrick's Day, as most everybody knows, is March 17th. This year, however, that date is smack dab in the middle of Holy Week. Since Holy Week takes precidence over all other feast days in the Liturgical Calendar, St. Patrick's Day (as well as St. Joseph's Day) needed to be moved to a time outside of Holy Week. So this year, St. Patrick's day as been moved to March 14th, or the Friday before Holy Week. All the usual dispensations in heavily Irish dioceses have been removed as regards abstaining and fasting on Fridays during Lent.

Now...the question is, when will you be celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year? Most secular festivities honoring the beloved Saint's feast are going on as usual on March 17th, and the Church reiterates that only the liturgical observence of the feast has been moved. But that begs the question when will I be celebrating? I have more than half a mind to celebrate both days (why not?) but the remaining percent makes me think that I should observe March 14th in a prayful spirit of Thanksgiving in honor of the Saint that brought the light of Christ to my ancestors, and avoid the usual trappings and brohaha of the day, saving that for March 17th...so I don't know...I think it will some mixture of my better feelings and my love of a good craic!

Anyway...just so you are all aware of the effects of an early Easter, and food for thought! Oh and here is an aticle from the Ireland.com talking about the change of date.

Dia dhuit!