Saint Patrick High School held a special service on October 4, 2006 when they marked the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, with their annual Blessing of Pets. This is the fourth year that Saint Patrick has held a Blessing of Pets service, and the number of participants has increased each year. This year over 30 people were in attendance.

Campus Minister Richard Raho led the group in prayer, and then he blessed each of the pets by sprinkling them with holy water. Dogs were the most popular among the various pets, but there were fish and a guinea pig in attendance as well.

Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and he believed that all God’s creations reveal something about the nature of God and His love. Pope Gregory IX canonized Saint Francis in 1228.

Saint Patrick is Chicago’s oldest secondary school for young men, having provided 145 years of educational service to the youth of Chicago and surrounding communities.