On the first weekend of October every year, animals can be seen gathering on the front lawn and steps of one the churches of Ave Maria Parish. They wait – anxiously but well-behaved – for their yearly blessing. This is the annual Blessing of the Animals held in honor of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
On Saturday, Oct. 5, several dogs, a few cats, two turtles, two goats, and their devoted humans gathered at Saint Maria Goretti Church on Chestnut Street. There, a blessing was bestowed over the animals and they were sprinkled with holy water. Their human companions were given a prayer card and a little Saint Francis medal to put on their pet’s collar, as a constant reminder that all creatures are brothers and sisters under God.
Father Paul Ritt, Ave Maria Parish’s Pastor, and Louis Namugera, a seminarian at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, presided over this year’s blessing.
