Each year, on or around the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, which falls on October 4th, parishes across our diocese offer the Blessing of Animals. You can find a schedule of blessings for the weekend of October 4 & 5, on the Diocesan website https://www.rcda.org/blessing-animals.
The tradition of blessing animals began sometime between 1210 and 1215, during St. Francis’ lifetime. St. Francis is known for his love of animals and often preached about God’s love for all creatures. You can learn more about his life and his Canticle of the Creatures on that webpage.
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