THE BLESSING OF THE PETS

On Saturday, October 5, St. Gregory's celebrates St. Francis Day with our annual Blessing of the Pets service at 10 am in front of the church. It's a cherished tradition for many families and always attracts members from the wider community. As the first stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden attest, we were created to care for creation and all its creatures. Adam is entrusted by God with naming the animals. For God, this naming is more than mere designation, it is about affirming a relationship of love. We are formed for relationships with all creatures as well as all human beings. Our worship service celebrates this relationship, inspired by the example of St. Francis. As an extension of our celebration, we are also collecting pet food for our local Tri-County Animal Shelter located in Boca Raton. And on Sunday, October 6 at our monthly Rise and Shine service with our Sunday School children and families our theme will be "All Creatures Great and Small." We are encouraging our children to bring their favorite stuffed animals to this Sunday service.

Several years ago, a friend observed that our relationships with the animals in our lives actually make us more human. We become the caretakers we were created to be. Thank God for St. Francis and this weekend where the pets are blessed and so are we!

In Christ,

Andrew+