Valle Catholic held a pet blessing on the Friday before the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis devoted his life to the poor and vulnerable and had a special connection to animals.
October 4th is his feast day and on Friday, October 2nd Valle Catholic parents were invited to bring family pets to the Valle Desert where Father Greg Klump, associate pastor of Ste. Genevieve Church, led a prayer and blessing. The school is also sponsoring a pet drive for a local animal shelter. Items will be collected until October 9th.
“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”
During the week of Valle Catholic’s Blessing of the Pets for the Feast of St. Francis of Asissi, the Valle First Graders asked their fellow Warriors to bring in pet supplies for the Ste. Genevieve Animal Shelter.
Since the First Graders have been learning about the Virtue of compassion, they decided to show compassion for God’s creatures by sharing with the Animal Shelter. Officer Barton of the Ste. Genevieve Sheriff Department visited the first graders and talked about the “compassion” shown to our homeless animals in Ste. Genevieve County. Officer Barton even showed “compassion: for a young Warrior by tying his shoe!
Officer Barton is the father of Brittney Barton of Class of 2014.
