October 4th was a very special day for the First Graders at St. Anselm Catholic Academy. Their teacher, Mrs. Josephine Ghorra, talked to the children about the life of St. Francis and his love for people and animals. And then Fr. Freddy Cintron visited the class for the 4th Annual Blessing of the Stuffed Animals. The children readied their stuffed animals or photos of a beloved family pet to be blessed. The result was a menagerie that included teddy bears of all sizes, dogs, cats, lions, sea creatures, and even a snake. Oh, my!
Fr. Freddy asked the children to hold up their animals while he read the blessing. After the “pet” blessing he explained that he would bless each child with his relic of St. Francis because they were all special to God. Upon leaving, Fr. Freddy told the children that he has a stuffed monkey. We hope he’ll bring it next year! A heartfelt thanks to Fr. Freddy for his blessings that meant so much to the children.
All the best,
The St. Anselm Publicity Committee