The rule
Keep the Church’s fast
This is the calculator’s twin: one honest look at the week. Friday abstinence, Ember days, Lent. Not a cleanse. Not keto. If fasting has become a way to punish the body, stop — talk to a priest and a doctor.
Today
No required fast
Eat with gratitude. A household still needs a regular meal, a regular bedtime, and a prayer before both. Feast when the Church feasts.
October 2026
Thursday, October 29
No required fast
Eat with gratitude. A household still needs a regular meal, a regular bedtime, and a prayer before both. Feast when the Church feasts.
The floor
- Ages 14+: no meat on Fridays.
- Ages 18–59: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are fast and abstinence.
- Eucharistic fast: one hour before Communion.
- Ember days 2026 (traditional, not required in the U.S.):
- Lent: Feb 25, Feb 27, Feb 28
- Pentecost: May 27, May 29, May 30
- September: Sep 16, Sep 18, Sep 19
- Advent: Dec 16, Dec 18, Dec 19
Who should not
Pregnant and nursing mothers, the sick, the poor in food, and anyone for whom food is already a war are not called to this ascesis. The Church has always dispensed. That is mercy, not softness.
Next: Fasting is not keto · The cellar · This week’s Ember letter