Every year, the beginning of autumn brings with it a unique celebration. Dogs and cats, hamsters lizards, sometimes even horses or snakes, gather with their human companions to worship as we celebrate the Blessing of the Animals.
This tradition is held in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi and his love for all creatures, so the celebrations are usually held on or near his feast day of October 4th. St. Francis loved the birds flying around his town, and there are even stories of him preaching to them. He and his fellow monks, staying in a small hut, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey. In celebration of the kinship we feel with all of God’s creatures, Francis wrote the words to the well-known hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.”
The people of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, at 300 Harper Avenue in Carolina Beach, invite you to join us on Sunday, October 4th, for this year’s Blessing of the Animals. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m. with a Dog Wash by the youth group. All donations will benefit the Carolina Beach Police Department’s K-9 Program. The worship service will begin at 3, and all kinds of pets and their owners are invited to join in.
RESCHEDULED to OCTOBER 11, 2015 due to rain.