Blessing the animals

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Congregants from St. Andrew & Holy Communion in South Orange and St. George’s Episcopal Church of Maplewood held a joint service on Sunday, Oct. 6, with pets invited for an annual blessing. The blessing is done in connection with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, which this year fell on Friday, Oct. 4. St. Francis, who lived from about 1181 to 1226, is the patron saint of animals and the environment.

  Maplewood, South Orange, St. Andrew, St. Francis, St. George’s Episcopal Church