BY ROSE ADAMS
They’re all god’s creatures!
A Marine Park church offered
benedictions to dozens
of Kings County canines on
Saturday, leaving furballs and
their owners feeling blessed
“It was nice,” said Gerritsen
Beach resident Mike Manning.
“All the dogs got along really
well together.”
Manning brought his three
dogs — Rex, Dekka, and Bently
— seeking a little divine intervention
at Good Shepherd
Church’s prayer garden on Avenue
S and Brown Street for
the house of worship’s annual
Blessing of the Animals on
Oct. 5.
The dog-gone adorable
blessing ceremony was meant
as tribute to Saint Francis Assisi,
the 13th century patron
saint of animals — who inspires
similar animal-blessing
celebrations among catholic
dog-owners around the world
each year.
At the Marine Park event,
COURIER L 10 IFE, OCT. 11-17, 2019
Rev. Mark Simmons, the
church’s parochial vicar,
splashed holy water on around
50 local pups — along with one
cat and a turtle.
“Grant that these animals
may serve our needs, and that
your bounty in the resources
of this life may move us to seek
more confi dently the goal of
eternal life,” the reverend intoned.
And while the tail-waggers
sat patiently during the blessing
ceremony, there is some debate
about the eternal resting
place for pups, according to the
church’s pastor, who noted that
the Bible offers no defi nitive
ruling about doggy-heaven.
Still, some Christian leaders
do believe each tail-wagger
— and turtle — goes to the eternal
promised land, according
to the pastor.
“Pope Francis would encourage
us to believe that our
animals go to heaven,” Reverend
Thomas Doyle claimed.
So while it remains unclear
whether the pets secured a
spot in heaven during Saturday’s
blessing, they were
very well-behaved — perhaps
currying favor with the almighty
creator.
“Things were calm,” said
Doyle. “None of them left any
surprises in the prayer garden.”
Father Mark Simmons blesses Jillian Conigliaro’s dog (above) while Linda
Linda Oshaughnessy waits with pooch Jax, (left) at Saturday’s Blessing
of the Animals ceremony Photos by Caroline Ourso
DIVINE DOGS
Pooches fl ock to Marine Park church for sacred blessing
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