On Sunday, 14 October 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church the Annual Blessing of the Animals will take place in the grove of trees behind Saint James. Members of the parish as well as the local community can bring their pets – cats, dogs, and what ever you have – to be blessed by Charles Brock, priest of St. James. There will be blessings for the animals, plus a wonderful pet parade and food for animals and people.
The “Blessing of the Animals” is an old Christian tradition dating back to the early 13th Century and to St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. The “Blessing of the Animals” is not only a fun event, but a time to seek God’s protection and blessing of our pets, but it is also an opportunity to remember and to honor a person who helped shape the course of Western Christianity’ – St. Francis. - John Linwood Thompson
