This Saturday, October 3, 2015 you may notice something odd – a procession of animals.
Every year around October 4th, people across the world celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with prayers and a blessing of the animals and pets. Started by the Catholic Church as a way to honor the life of St. Francis, the traditions of blessing animals, particularly pets, has been picked up by many other churches.
St. Francis (1182-1226) was a monk who founded the contemporary order of Franciscans, and whether you realize it or not, you probably know something about St. Francis.
He is best known for preaching to the birds, blessing the fish that had been caught, communicating with wolves, and even brokering an agreement between one famous ferocious wolf and the citizens of a town that were terrified of him. He used real animals when he created the very first, live, Christmas nativity scene. As a result of these actions, Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment.
This year the blessing will take place on Saturday, October 3rd at the following churches:
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Front Lawn, Sunday, October 4th at 4pm
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