Holy Week, St. Patrick’s Day clash this year

Holy Week, St. Patrick’s Day clash this year

YOUNGSTOWN — Not all Irish eyes will be smiling this St. Patrick’s Day.

The traditional Irish holiday falls on Monday of Holy Week, the most solemn period on the Christian calendar and some Catholic dioceses are trying to discourage traditional partying on that day.

The conflict between St. Pat’s Day and Holy Week is caused by the moveable nature of Easter, the highest holy day in Christianity.

For astronomy buffs, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. For the rest of us, that means Easter can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25. For history buffs, the calculation was established in 325 at the Council of Nicaea.

It’s not often that St. Paddy’s Day falls during Holy Week. The last time was in 1940. The next time won’t be until 2160, leaving plenty of years of revelry and green beer between now and then.

According to the Diocese of Youngstown, most American dioceses will not mark St. Patrick’s Feast Day with Masses because it falls during Holy Week.

Churches where St. Patrick is the patron will mark the feast on another date.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.