The annual Blessing of the Pets at Christ Episcopal took place Wednesday, Oct. 7. During the morning, Christ Episcopal preschoolers had their pets, and everything from stuffed animals to photos of their pets blessed. In the evening, it was the parish’s turn to have their pets blessed.
Students, teachers and parents gathered in the courtyard. Of the pets who were brought for the official blessing of the pets by members of the clergy of Christ Episcopal Church, dogs were the most abundant, but cats, hamsters and even fish were also present.
As a community service project for the preschool, pet food and supplies were collected and presented to the Christ Episcopal Church St. Francis Ministry for Animals under the direction of Jennifer Regan. The donations will be given to area non-profit organizations the ministry has collaborated with such as Katz 4 Keeps, BEAM, The Jacksonville Humane Society, and the U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, among others.
Last year, over 2,000 pounds of food was collected.
The ministry was established in 2012. Since then, the SFM has grown to almost 100 members. The SFM regularly organizes pet food and supply drives, holds community workshops, and in the spring of 2014, the ministry launched Pets 2 Vets, a program implemented to fund veterinary appointments for financially struggling families with the goal of improving the quality of life for animals and reduce the number of animals surrendered to shelters.
For more information about the ministry, visit www.stfrancisministrycec.org.
