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Community Corner

Pets Receive Special Blessing During Annual Ceremony

St. Bartholomew Church welcomed local animals to its facility on Sunday.

Animals of all types received a special blessing Sunday afternoon.

St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church in Scotch Plains offered blessings to local pets as part of the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis is the patron saint of all animals and most Catholic churches conduct this ceremony around this time each year to commemorate his love for all living creatures.

The ceremony itself is very basic: the animals gather around by the side of the church and a priest gives a quick blessing and says a short prayer. The whole event lasted about five minutes.

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Approximately 20 pet owners showed up this year. Adrienne Robertiello, public relations manager for the church, said the ceremony is a great way for parishioners to express their belief in the church and their love for their pets. 

Dogs mainly showed up for the blessing, but cats, birds, turtles, hamsters and other pets, both large and small, were also blessed. With all these pets gathering in the same area, Robertiello said she was initially concerned about the animals all getting along. But, she said that it never ends up being a problem.

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“The dogs and other animals seem to always behave,” she said. “This is a community gathering, the people talk and the animals mingle.”

St. Bartholomew’s isn’t the only local house of worship that holds such a ceremony.

Willow Grove Church on Raritan Road in Scotch Plains will host its own Blessing of Pets next Sunday, Oct. 11, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the church lawn. Pastor Rev. Cynthia Cochran-Carney will officiate. Pet owners who have an animal that is sick or that has recently passed may bring a picture so that their loved one can be included in the blessing. A Shetland Sheep Dog Show and puppy petting pen will follow.

For more information, call 908-232-5678 or e-mail info@willowgrovechurch.org.

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