All God's creatures are blessed in tribute to St. Francis
BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer

ERIC SUCAR staff Nick Scorcia holds up his miniature dachshund Mossimo to be blessed by a priest during the blessing of the animals at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, on Oct. 4. The blessing of the animals honors St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.

LAKEWOOD - Outside of the Arts and Science Center at Georgian Court University, animals were being blessed on Oct. 4.

Dachshunds, golden retrievers, rats, rabbits and love birds were all in attendance with their owners to receive a special blessing to coincide with the Feast of St. Francis, which honors St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order and the patron saint of animals and ecology in the Roman Catholic Church.

Georgian Court administrators have held the event for 10 years in an attempt to encourage campus members to bring their pets to be blessed.

Dawn Nakash of Jackson has been bringing her golden retrievers Penny and Tucker to be blessed for five years. Nakash said the blessings were a divine intervention for 13-year-old Tucker, who was diagnosed with cancer.

"I was told that Tucker only had six months to live. It was right after that when we started coming here," Nakash said. "He's been with us ever since. We get him here every year no matter what."

Rebecca Walczak of Toms River owns a 2-year-old miniature dachshund. She said this was the first time she had ever brought the pup to be blessed.

"I wanted a new experience and I wanted my dog to mingle with other dogs," Walczak said.

The Rev. Anthony DiPalma gave a brief lecture on St. Francis of Assisi before he blessed the animals with holy water. He said, "St. Francis always recognized the presence of God in everything.

"He saw the handiwork of God in trees that changed colors, in birds that fly through the air, in dogs that are loyal to their masters and in the beasts that work for man to provide so many great things for us," the priest said.

DiPalma walked among the group of faithful pet owners and sprinkled holy water on the head of each pet. He asked God to give the pets a long life and to continue to allow them to be sources of happiness and joy for those who take care of them.

Lastly, he asked God to remind humans that in everything they see is the greatness and beauty of God's hand.

DiPalma said in his blessing that there is a lesson for everyone. He said, "This teaches us to really have respect for everything that God has created from the youngest life to the oldest, and even all the animals. To mistreat animals, to harm them, or to use them for sport and cruelty is an insult to God and all that he has made and given us."

Sister Mariann Mahon, director of campus ministry, shared the same sentiment. She said, "All creation has a role and a significance, and animals, especially pets, have a lesson to teach human beings about unconditional love. Pets do not discriminate with age, race or economics, and they forgive everything. I think we have a lot to learn from animals."