Several congregations celebrated the Feast of St. Francis by blessing animals of all kinds in the last couple of weeks. Pre-school and kindergarten students at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Keller also brought their stuffed animals for a blessing.
The students brought their animals to chapel, and the Rev. Scot McComas and school chaplain Corrie Cabes led them in giving thanks for the comfort the animals provide and then blessed each one.
Some of the kindergartners showed and talked about their animals. Hayden brought a stuffed horse, named for best friend Chloe. While Hayden was describing Chloe the horse, the real Chloe skipped over and gave Hayden a hug. Tristan brought Pascal, a stuffed chameleon. “He can change colors,” Tristan explained. Dean brought a stuffed dog, who likes to play fetch, and Leonardo proudly brought two stuffed puppies.
Elliott and his younger brother Alexander both brought their stuffed animals: “Monkey” and “Puppy.” Their mom said Elliott had remembered participating in the stuffed animal blessing last year also and had been looking forward to it.
Elliott woke up this morning and came down the stairs and said ‘Mom! Remember we get to bring our stuffies to school today!’
Cabes explained that, for young children, stuffed animals bring a lot of comfort, and they can give thanks to God for that and also pray for children who may not have stuffed animals or other comforts.