Blessing of the Animals, 2018

The chairs, table, and sign were set up promptly at the announced start time of 12:30 PM, but there was nary a soul--no animals, no owners, and no priests. Not to worry, both persons of cloth drove up a few minutes later, and groups leaving the Dog Park saw the little gathering and walked over for a blessing.

Today we celebrated the annual Feast of Saint Francis (officially October 4th on the Church calendar) by blessing pets and their owners. One lady said that her dog was an atheist, but I said that if St. Francis didn't ask or care, why should I?

Special prayers of healing were administered to those afflicted with ailments. Whether the sufferers were two- or four-legged the priests didn't discriminate.

Festivities begin at the morning service.

One owner--not a member of the church--said she looks forward to our annual event and has been stopping by for five years.

The lady who had her Camaro blessed in 2014 also came by, this time for a conventional prayer for her dogs.

One regular asked the whereabouts of the Project Bay Cat representatives, whom we normally ask to join us. I explained that the spaying, neutering, and feeding of the feral cats in Foster City have been so successful that the cats no longer pose a danger to waterfowl. Project Bay Cat has been disbanded. That's happy news, I suppose, but I did enjoy talking to the PBC volunteers.

By two o'clock we were done. If the prayers work* as hoped, we'll see everyone back at the same time next year.

*Hey, I'm no theologian.