I have been struggling with a conundrum for as long as I can remember. That conundrum is: Why don’t Catholics eat meat on Friday?
Growing up eating fish on Friday was simply a fact of life. In school, every Friday it was fish sticks and chocolate pudding. Supper at home was usually tuna fish hot dish. When my mom wanted to make a special meal on Friday the recipe called for salmon. The salmon was always canned. Ever since I was old enough to skip the family salmon meal on Friday I haven’t been able to eat canned salmon. In fact I couldn’t eat salmon at all until 10 years ago after a trip to Seattle when a friend invited my sister and me over and barbecued salmon steaks – fresh salmon steaks from Pike’s Market. Now, fresh salmon is a favorite of mine. But I digress.
I didn’t even question eating fish on Friday until I took a short cut across the public school playground on my way to Holy Spirit Elementary School. As I trudged through the snow and glided across the ice skating rink, I could hear the kids call out, “Hey Mackerel Snapper!”
What? Did they say Mackerel Snapper? What is a Mackerel Snapper?
Upon entering my classroom I asked my teacher, Sister Beatrice, “Why did the kids at the public school call me a Mackerel Snapper?”
She smiled and replied, “A mackerel in a type of fish. As Catholics, we do not eat meat on Friday, we eat fish. The kids were just saying that you eat fish on Friday.”
What? You mean everyone doesn’t eat fish on Friday?
“Doesn’t everyone eat fish on Friday?” I asked.
“No.”
What?
And thus my eyes were opened and my education began.
About the time I was finally getting the hang of the reasons why Catholics abstain from meat and eat fish on Friday, don’t ya know that the Church up and changed the rules at the Vatican II Council in the early 60s.
Of course, attending a Catholic high school, the Friday menu did not change – fish sticks and chocolate pudding. At home it was tuna hot dish. My classmates and I had no idea that the Code of Cannon Law had been relaxed. Instead of abstinence every Friday Catholics were asked to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent.
Knowing that tidbit of information would have come in handy when a group of us girls, Catholics and Lutherans, were invited to the Episcopal Bishop’s home for dinner one Friday noon. Our friend Maggie was the Bishop’s daughter. Dinner was served in the formal dining room of the Bishop’s Mansion. It was truly an experience for a 16 year old. Actually, I felt quite comfortable breaking bread with the Bishop and his wife. The food was served; it appeared to be a creamed tuna dish over biscuits. Before we had a chance to ‘dig’ in Maggie shared that we were eating Nat King Cole turkey.
What?
Maggie had explained that Nat King Cole had been a dinner guest the night before. They had served turkey and we were eating the rest of the turkey – Nat King Cole turkey.
Turkey?
I knew turkey was a meat. It was Friday. What should I do?
I looked over at my Catholic friends. They were looking at me. What should we do? I mean you would think an Episcopal Bishop would know better than to serve meat to Catholics on Friday?
I did not speak up. My Catholic friends did not speak up. We ate the biscuits and gravy and pushed the turkey to the side of our plates with our forks. After all, it was Friday!
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I have been struggling with a conundrum for as long as I can remember. That conundrum is: Why don’t Catholics eat meat on Friday?
Growing up eating fish on Friday was simply a fact of life. In school, every Friday it was fish sticks and chocolate pudding. Supper at home was usually tuna fish hot dish. When my mom wanted to make a special meal on Friday the recipe called for salmon. The salmon was always canned. Ever since I was old enough to skip the family salmon meal on Friday I haven’t been able to eat canned salmon. In fact I couldn’t eat salmon at all until 10 years ago after a trip to Seattle when a friend invited my sister and me over and barbecued salmon steaks – fresh salmon steaks from Pike’s Market. Now, fresh salmon is a favorite of mine. But I digress.
I didn’t even question eating fish on Friday until I took a short cut across the public school playground on my way to Holy Spirit Elementary School. As I trudged through the snow and glided across the ice skating rink, I could hear the kids call out, “Hey Mackerel Snapper!”
What? Did they say Mackerel Snapper? What is a Mackerel Snapper?
Upon entering my classroom I asked my teacher, Sister Beatrice, “Why did the kids at the public school call me a Mackerel Snapper?”
She smiled and replied, “A mackerel in a type of fish. As Catholics, we do not eat meat on Friday, we eat fish. The kids were just saying that you eat fish on Friday.”
What? You mean everyone doesn’t eat fish on Friday?
“Doesn’t everyone eat fish on Friday?” I asked.
“No.”
What?
And thus my eyes were opened and my education began.
About the time I was finally getting the hang of the reasons why Catholics abstain from meat and eat fish on Friday, don’t ya know that the Church up and changed the rules at the Vatican II Council in the early 60s.
Of course, attending a Catholic high school, the Friday menu did not change – fish sticks and chocolate pudding. At home it was tuna hot dish. My classmates and I had no idea that the Code of Cannon Law had been relaxed. Instead of abstinence every Friday Catholics were asked to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent.
Knowing that tidbit of information would have come in handy when a group of us girls, Catholics and Lutherans, were invited to the Episcopal Bishop’s home for dinner one Friday noon. Our friend Maggie was the Bishop’s daughter. Dinner was served in the formal dining room of the Bishop’s Mansion. It was truly an experience for a 16 year old. Actually, I felt quite comfortable breaking bread with the Bishop and his wife. The food was served; it appeared to be a creamed tuna dish over biscuits. Before we had a chance to ‘dig’ in Maggie shared that we were eating Nat King Cole turkey.
What?
Maggie had explained that Nat King Cole had been a dinner guest the night before. They had served turkey and we were eating the rest of the turkey – Nat King Cole turkey.
Turkey?
I knew turkey was a meat. It was Friday. What should I do?
I looked over at my Catholic friends. They were looking at me. What should we do? I mean you would think an Episcopal Bishop would know better than to serve meat to Catholics on Friday?
I did not speak up. My Catholic friends did not speak up. We ate the biscuits and gravy and pushed the turkey to the side of our plates with our forks. After all, it was Friday!
