It’s a religious ceremony, all right. But...
It’s a religious ceremony, all right. But for this service, many of the congregants will count their blessings from a cage.
Cats, dogs, turtles, snakes, birds and other creatures big and small are expected to show up Saturday--with their owners, of course--at the eighth annual Blessing of the Animals at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The noon ceremony, to take place on the St. John Fisher School patio, will be officiated by Father Eugene Herbert, who will bless the animals one by one and give them a badge that says “blessed creature.” Owners will receive a card inscribed with “The Prayer of St. Francis.”
Blessing animals is a Catholic tradition believed to date to the time of St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, in the 4th Century. At St. John Fisher, the ceremony was started by a church group called AGAPE, which also runs charitable projects in Tijuana, Mexico.
Saturday’s nondenominational ceremony is open to all. Church officials ask that pet owners keep animals on a leash or in a cage to ensure there’s no biting amid the blessing.
What: Eighth Annual Blessing of the Animals.
When: Noon, Saturday.
Where: St. John Fisher Catholic Church, Crenshaw Boulevard and Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes.
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