In the Roman Catholic Church, the term collation is used to describe each of the two small meals allowed on days of fasting (with or without abstinence). The term originated in Benedictine monasteries where the reading of excerpts from The Lives of the Fathers (Collationes Patrum), written by John Cassian, was followed by a light meal. The Italian word colazione ("breakfast") and the Polish word kolacja ("supper") are derived from it.
