St. Francis feast day is October 4. Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan order, and is also known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. Many locations celebrate the Blessing of the Animals, often on the Sunday following October 4.
Yesterday, curly and I took the trip to Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine on the upper west side of Manhattan to witness the service and the blessing. curly (a secular Jew) has been there several times for this occasion and convinced this atheist to participate this year. And I have no regrets for spending two hours at this unusual service which attracts people of all denominations. The edifice itself is magnificent, I have been inside several times earlier just to admire the architecture of the cathedral, the largest Episcopalian cathedral in the world. But the Blessing of the Animals is quite a spectacle. The music and the performers; it felt like a mix of Cirque de Soleil and the Village Halloween Parade in NYC – see pictures below.
Beautiful music is provided under the leadership of Paul Winter.
Yet, the biggest surprise was the sermon itself – a sermon that was progressive in content throughout. The pastor gently, but thoroughly, ridiculed the GOP meme You didn’t build that. I nearly had to pick my jaw off the floor. A truly enjoyable service which had the congregation chuckle at regular intervals. What an antidote to the nonsense spewed by many evangelical fundies.
Pictures below the fold:
Yoruba dancers
Bishops and other clergy
People bring their pets
A feeling of circus
A varied menagerie
I will be back next year!
