Irish Catholics face dilemma on holiday

Stacy J. Willis

Friday, March 17, 2000 | 11:25 a.m.

To eat corned beef, or not to eat corned beef -- that is the question for many Irish Catholics this St. Patrick's Day.

The day honoring the patron saint of the Irish has fallen on a Friday -- and while that's good news for many a green-beer-swilling reveler, it creates a bit of a sticky wicket for the devout. During Lent -- the 40 days before Easter -- Roman Catholics are discouraged from eating meat on Fridays as a reminder of Jesus' sacrifices.

Many Catholic bishops -- including those in New York City, Boston and Reno -- are issuing a dispensation, or exemption, from the no-meat rule for those Irish Catholics who want to indulge in the traditional St. Patrick's Day plate of corned beef and cabbage, or bacon and cabbage.

But not Bishop Daniel Walsh of the Diocese of Las Vegas.

"He is not giving a dispensation. He is leaving it to each person to search their conscience and decide on their own," said Phyllis Bachant, Walsh's assistant. Walsh, of Irish descent himself, was not available for comment Thursday.

"Looks like we'll have our St. Patrick's celebration on Sunday," Irish Catholic attorney John Mowbray said. "Or I'll eat fish and watch my waistline this year."

"This is a very interesting way that the bishop has handled it," said the Rev. Gerald McNulty, who grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and is now chaplain at the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital.

"Rather than give us carte blanche, he is asking us to look at our own relationship with God and take responsibility, and I think we can grow more from doing that," McNulty said.

"But St. Patrick's Day is part of our heritage. It's part of our national culture as Irish. It's very important to us, just as Lent is important," McNulty said.

Bishop Phillip Straling of the Diocese of Reno is issuing a dispensation, leaving Las Vegas Catholics free to head north for a few fork-fulls of corned beef.

"I suppose we could travel to their diocese for dinner, yes," McNulty said. "But I don't think I'll do that ... If my pocket can afford a good salmon for dinner, I'll have salmon instead. If not, well, I don't know. I hope to do the right thing."