Every year millions of animals are blessed during a traditional service established to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. On or near St. Francis’s annual celebratory feast day, in remembrance of his love of all animals, creatures great and small are led to churches and various places of assembly to be blessed.
In honor of St. Francis, and in recognition of the love shared between our human and four-legged residents, Cedarfield conducted its very own Blessing of the Pets. On a sunny, breezy October afternoon amidst festive balloons, approximately forty people, ten excited dogs and one very subdued cat came together on the Town Center porch. After some human socializing and lots of barking, sniffing and tail wagging, people and pets took a seat and the blessing, led by Chaplains Trish Bracken Carter and Florence Brooks, began.
Pets and their families alike received the blessing as did a few pets that had previous engagements but were represented by photographs. There was also a time to remember beloved pets lost to us this year.
As if by design, the blessing drew to a conclusion at approximately the same time as did the attention span of our furry friends.
And also, as with any proper celebration, tasty refreshments were served following the blessing to all participants – punch, cookies, crunchy dog treats, and fishy kitty snacks – and provided the perfect send-off from a heartfelt time of celebrating the significant impacts pets have on our lives.
Please enjoy some of the fun shown in the photos below and plan to join us next year. St. Francis would have been pleased.
