Blessing of the Animals ceremony held in Bangor to commemorate upcoming Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi

BANGOR—Pets of all kinds, accompanied by their human family members, gathered outside St. Mary Church in Bangor on Sunday, October 1, for a Blessing of the Animals prayer service, held in commemoration of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, who was known for his care for all of God’s creatures.

People were encouraged to bring pets of any kind to be blessed, and they responded. Present were 50 dogs, 3 cats, 5 parakeets, a chicken, a turkey, and a ball python.

Leading the prayer service were St. Paul the Apostle Parish’s parochial vicars, Father Bruce Siket and Father Joseph Osunde, OP, accompanied by Deacon Luis Sanclemente.

The Blessing of the Animals in Bangor is just one of many services being held around the state. Several others were held the weekend of September 30 and October 1, and more will be held on October 4, which is St. Francis’ feast day, and on the weekend of October 7 and 8. A schedule may be found at www. portlanddiocese.org/blessing-animals-2023.