4 Ways To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day In Lacey

LACEY, NJ — St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday this year. Entertainment districts in Ocean County will be swimming in Kelly green, and perhaps flashing red and blue lights if people don’t behave themselves.

And devout Catholics may have to consult their parish priest before they dig into a plate of corned beef and cabbage.

Some of the places in Lacey to celebrate the March 17 holiday are:

• Caffreys Backyard brings back its popular corned beef platter and Irish egg rolls with a DJ and bagpipers.
• Captain's Inn has live music and their delicious seafood menu for those still abstaining from meat.
• The Waterfront offers a variety of Irish food specials like the Emerald pizza, corned beef brisket and more, plus musical guest PJ Farley.
• The Thirsty Piney has Irish food specials, soda bread, live music, giveaways and of course, green beer.

Devout Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, a sacrifice that recognizes Jesus’ death on the cross on a Friday. Catholics in several suburban Chicago towns can eat the traditional fare without guilt, but the Diocese of Chicago is holding firm.

Whether revelers in cities like heavily Catholic Chicago, one of the most St. Patrick-y cities in the country, go all in with the holiday staple corned beef and cabbage could come down to whether they get special dispensation from the diocese.

Bishop David M. O’Connell of the Diocese of Trenton said the Friday obligation to abstain from meat can be fulfilled through other works and action.

He suggested residents and visitors abstain from meat another day during the week, or "perform a work of charity (for example, a donation to the poor) or some exercise of piety (for example, a visit to Church and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, a rosary, or some other prayer, etc.) to fulfill the spirit of the obligation.” Read more: Corned Beef OK For NJ Catholics On St. Patrick's Day, Archdioceses Say

There are several Lenten fish fries going on for Catholics who want to play it by the rules.