Bring your pets to receive a blessing from the clergy on the church lawn – weather permitting!

More about the Blessing of the Animals –

St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved Christian saints, whose appeal goes way beyond any one denomination or even Christianity itself.   By reading the Gospels, Francis discovered the joy of following the poor Jesus and depending radically upon the generosity of our good and merciful God.   He practiced the hard work of reconciling warring factions in his native Assisi.   He befriended and lived among poor people, as well as people with leprosy at a time when their condition filled many medieval townspeople with fear.   He considered the earth and the natural order, including different species of plants and animals, to be part of a single kinship network, and called his fellow creatures brother or sister.   He is considered to be a patron saint of the natural environment, and many Christian communities practice the blessing of beloved companion animals (as well as livestock and crops) on or near his Feast Day in early October.