CALENDAR KEY
Ordinary Days — We may eat anything that we want. Neither fasting nor feasting is prohibited.
Cheese Days — We may have dairy products, eggs, fish, fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.
Fish Days — We may eat fish, fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.
Roe Days — We may eat fish eggs, shellfish, wine, oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains.
Fried Shrimp Days — We may have wine, oil, shellfish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains. Since we can fry our shellfish in oil, these days are fried shrimp days.
Boiled Shrimp Days — We may have shellfish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and grains. Since we are not supposed to use oil when cooking, these days are boiled shrimp days.
Modified Strict Fast Days — We may eat wine, oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Strict Fast Days — We may eat dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Before we take communion, we keep a total fast. The rule in our diocese is nothing after midnight.
There are, of course, some common sense exceptions to the fasting rules. People who must take medications are allowed to take them before receiving communion. Women who are pregnant are not required to fast. Babies are not required to fast. The sick and elderly also are not required to fast. Small children are not expected to fast like adults.
Unlike the days on our liturgical calendar which run from sunset to sunset, the days on our fasting calendar go from midnight to midnight.
The Church Canons prohibit fasting on Saturdays and Sundays except during Lent or if one is preparing to receive Communion. In the Didache it says that we should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, but not on Mondays and Thursdays. The Didache is a short compendium of Apostolic tradition and is held in high esteem by the Church.