There are blessings of the animals’ ceremonies taking place around the area in the coming weeks, as many local churches will honor St. Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of animals.
Lord of Life Lutheran Church will hold a celebration as part of its 9:45 a.m. service on Sunday, Oct. 6.
“This sweet service is often quite vocal with various ‘woofs’ that funny enough, often come at just the right moment in the liturgy,” said Sheila Kolesaire, Lord of Life’s council president.
According to Kolesaire, well-behaved family dogs are invited to attend, although on occasion there has been a family cat in a carrying crate attend the ceremony in the past as well, as all pets are welcome.
While most of the service follows the Lutheran worship, at a certain time each person will bring their pet forward to be blessed by Pastor Karen Biggerstaff.
After service there will be dog biscuits, as well as St. Francis of Assisi prayer cards and a chance to put an inkless print of your dog’s paw on a card to remember the occasion.
St. Francis of Assisi is believed to have created the first live nativity scene at Christmas in 1223 and he is associated with animals and the environment.
His designated feast day is officially October 4, which is also World Animal Day.
Lord of Life Lutheran Church is located at 276 N. Roscoe Blvd. in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Christ Church in Ponte Vedra Beach held its annual blessing of the animal’s ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 2, as they held in their courtyard outside the church.
Finally, the 11th Annual Family Pet Fair and Blessing of the Pets will be held Saturday, Nov. 16 at Fletcher Park in the San Marco area of Jacksonville from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The fair will include vendors discussing pet topics to keep pets safe and healthy and many adoptable pets on hand.
Bishop John Oliver of St. Philip Neri Ecumenical Church will be performing the blessing at 1:15 p.m.
