WASHINGTON — Heaven held back the rain just long enough Saturday so the animals could be blessed at the Franciscan Monastery in Northeast D.C.
There was at least one cat but plenty of dogs and, of course, there were cute little puppies. The animals were there along with their owners for the annual “Blessing of the Animals.”
Throughout the world on Oct. 4, many celebrate the “Feast of St. Francis.” The Franciscan order traces its origin to St. Francis of Assisi who is best known for his love of animals. So what better place to have you animals blessed than at a Franciscan Monastery?
Father Greg Friedman led the service for the animals Saturday morning. He said every year around the “Feast of St. Francis” the monastery invites people from the community to come and have their pets blessed. He said whatever people bring, he blesses them.
Father Friedman said he has blessed cats, dogs, birds, turtles, gerbils, fish, a boa constrictor and even police horses. But in all of his years of blessing animals, he said he had never blessed a lizard. That was until Saturday. He joked, “You need to get a picture of me blessing the lizard.”
Mike Sulima and his wife said they have been coming here 25 years for the blessing of their different dogs over the years. On Saturday they were having their two rescue springer spaniels — Chase, 14 years old, and Izzy, five-years old — blessed.
And Charlotte Markoe from Arlington was counting her blessing especially after Friedman blessed her 5-month-old Shetland puppy named Trixie. She was emotional after the blessing only saying, “So happy, thrilled.”
