The priest will be going on a two-week leave, but he wasn't going to miss the Blessing of the Animals at the Dog Park. After one year in his new post, he said that this was the community event he liked best. However, as the owner of two English bulldogs, he is somewhat biased.
Thirty (30) dogs and their owners came by for a blessing, a Christian tradition that started centuries ago to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
We spent a pleasant couple of hours talking with members of the community--none of whom were church members, by the way--about their beloved animals.
One lady opened her purse and asked if she could make a donation. I quickly ran through the possible answers, finally saying "No, thank you, though. Enjoy." (They never put me in charge of fund-raising.)
This just may be my favorite community event, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment