Last Saturday October 8 the now annual blessing of pets took place in Knock Shrine, the event was organised by the Family Centre at Knock Shrine which decided to run it again this year. Owing to the the nature of the creatures that were being blessed, the event was held outside the Family Centre at the Shrine.
There was a wide variety of pets brought along by their owners to get a blessing including a pygmy goat owned by the Alexian Brothers, a pony called Dancer, Polly the sheep and her friend Penny the hen, along with a lot of dogs, puppies, and cats. Fr Richard Gibbons, PP, Rector, Knock Shrine led prayers and went among the crowd to bless all of the animals and their owners and sprinkle them with holy water. Music was provided by some members of the junior choir in Knock. Those that were not able to bring their pets sent in photographs which were mounted on the pet display board. The Blessing of Pets is to mark the feast of St Francis of Assisi and to acknowledge the important role that pets play in the lives of individuals and families as loyal companions who help to brighten our days and help to see us through difficult times.
