My Brothers in Christ:

Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you this Lenten Season. Know that I pray with gratitude for each one of you as you flourish God’s Kingdom. The question of lifting the obligation of abstinence from eating meat on Friday, March 17 has been discussed as it corresponds with Saint Patrick’s Day, which is traditionally an occasion for celebrations within our Diocese.  Having judged that it will serve the spiritual good of the faithful, I hereby grant to the faithful of the Diocese of Orlando, as well as to any visitors or travelers who may be physically present within the borders of this Diocese, a dispensation from the obligation of abstinence from meat on March 17, 2023.

Those that take advantage of the dispensation are asked to undertake a work of charity or an act of comparable penance on some other occasion during the Third Week of Lent.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend John Noonan

Bishop of Orlando