St. Mary of the Assumption School prepared for barks, meows, chirps, and a host of other sounds as students and families planned to bring their pets to school Tuesday, Oct. 4, for the annual blessing of the animals. The St. Mary’s School family joined millions of people around the world for the traditional event as part of the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
Every year as part of the celebration, people take their animals to churches for an annual blessing.
“The students are excited to see all of the different animals. How many children get to say they brought their pet to school? They get real quiet when the blessing starts,” St. Mary of the Assumption School Principal Michelle Cox said in a release prior to the event. “Many of the preschoolers and younger grades bring stuffed animals to be blessed, too.”
St. Francis of Assisi was known for his love of animals and is the Patron Saint of Animals and the Ecology.
This article appears in Oct 6-13, 2016.