Blessings for Pets (and Their Humans)

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, at the corner of Fourth and Parmenter, offered atraditional Blessing of the Animals on October 23. The event was held at the front entrance of the church on Parmenter Street.
The practice of blessing animals in October is grounded in the legends and life of St. Francis of Assisi, whose traditional feast day is on October 4. A charming story (whether true or not) tells of a village in Italy that was being terrorized by a wolf that was killing and eating livestock and even people. Francis found the wolf in the forest, tamed it through kindness and prayer, and led it peacefully into the village. He asked the people to provide food for the wolf, in return for the wolf letting them and their animals alone. Then, to demonstrate that this arrangement was from God, Francis blessed the wolf. Peace and security were restored.
We loved to meet all the pets and their owners and thank you for bringing them in.