Bless the Beasts!!!

     Malate Catholic Church is home to the Nuestra Senora de los Remedios. It has a long and rich history behind it  (see my earlier blog) and many have come to the church to bring their sick children, ask for petitions, and just pray there to feel the comfort the Lady of Remedies brings to tired minds.

    

 Okay, so I'm biased... I grew up in Malate. I even served at the church before I left to live in other shores.  Anyway, On every first Sunday of October there is a special event that happens during twelve o'clock Mass. Today, that's where I heard Mass. And I had the good sense to bring a camera with me. On the feast of Saint  Francis of Assisi, the parishioners are advised to bring their pets with them to the church grounds for the annual blessing of the animals. 

     The priests and staff make an effort to dress up the church to allow the parishioners to take part in the festivities marking St. Francis day. On a side note,  St. Francis (Giovanni Francesco Bernardone 1181- 4 October, 1226) was the son of wealthy Italian merchant (Pietro) whose aspiration was to have a son who would carry on his passion for wealth and business. Born while his father was away on a trip, he was incensed that  his wife had named their son after John so he added the name Francesco because he loved France. Francis grew up enjoying the wealth and luxe that money could buy. He successively joined the battles against Perugia and the Fourth Crusade to become known as a nobleman and rise in status and power. However, as he was off to another war, the Lord persuaded him to go back home. In all his finery, he was scorned and labeled a coward upon his return and his father was so humiliated by his action that he wanted his son to bring back his lost prestige. While praying at the old church in San Damiano, Francis was said to have heard the crucified image of Christ speaking to him to rebuild His church. and the rest of the story goes that Francis was disowned by his father and he in turn renounced all his worldly possessions. Francis ended up living in a cave owning nothing and asking for stones with which he used to literally build the damaged church.

      Anyway, because of his deep love for God, St. Francis the wealthy savant turned into the humble, animal loving, preaching head of a religious order which he disdained in the first place. And even then his own order had turned away from what he espoused as they found his teachings to hard and too spartan to follow. He lived in suffering for the rest of his days until his condition had worsened and he died at age 45.  His most devoted follower was his former sweetheart Clare, who on her own, went against her family's wishes and went into a nunnery and live a life similar to Francis. She later was to found the Poor Clares. But that's another love story worth another blog.

    

So this particular Sunday, Father John Leydon (parish priest) gave a stirring sermon extolling St. Francis' virtues and expounding on the importance of preserving nature as opposed to its wanton destruction for profit. How very appropriate for the times we live in. In so few words, he managed to sum up how important it is to care for our environment. At the end of the Mass, the blessing of the animals followed. Incidentally, the  church patio turned out to be one big fairground where pets had freebies and free check-ups. Dogs of all breeds came lining up for the blessing. Huge dogs... teeny tiny ones... hairy ones... wiry haired... smooth.... parakeets... love birds... even plants were brought up to the altar for the blessing. The proud pet owners had their pets on leashes; some were dressed, groomed, tethered, carried on pet bags, placed on strollers. They were all cute and cuddly and some loved all the attention they were getting.

     Dog lover that I am, I can't help but recall when Muffy came into my care as the parish priest and Father Mickey Martin had asked if I can adopt her... I do miss having a dog to care for but there's no stopping me from admiring the ones that came to be blessed this noon.