Communities plan regional St. Francis pet blessings

Churches, nonprofits and OSF HealthCare facilities are holding pet-blessing events around the Oct. 4 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, honoring the saint’s care for animals and all creation. Knock Shrine will host a blessing in Ireland on Oct. 3, while a free ceremony at Humane Fort Wayne is scheduled for Oct. 4. OSF locations in Ottawa, Streator, Peru and Mendota will hold events Oct. 5–9, and OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon will host one on Oct. 9; organizers ask that pets be managed safely around other animals. In Fort Worth, First Christian Church recently held its first pet blessing, joining a longstanding local tradition of ceremonies open to people of any faith.