Pets are invited to St. Joseph’s Chapel in La Choya on Sunday, Oct. 6 for the annual blessing of the animals which will take place immediately after bilingual Mass from 9 to 10 a.m.
Owners can attend the Mass or come at the end of the service just for the blessing, which takes about 10-15 minutes.
The blessing is a tradition of the church throughout the world and takes place on or near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi who is one of the best-known saints in the Catholic Church. Even non-Catholics are familiar with Francis, who is often referred to as “the bird bath saint.” Countless statues of him grace gardens around the world.
There are many stories of St. Francis’ affinity for animals. One tells of a wolf that was terrorizing a community until Francis turned the wolf into the town pet. It is also said that when he wasn’t preaching in a church, he preached to the animals. In another story, he was preaching outside to people and the birds were so noisy he couldn’t be heard. He asked the birds to be still and all the noise stopped until his sermon was over.
As a result of this history, St. Francis was named by the church as the patron saint of animals and of the environment. He is so respected that the current Pope, a Jesuit, chose the name Francis.
You can reach St. Joseph’s by taking the paved road past the Sandy Beach Condos, then the dirt road past Wrecked at the Reef. As you wind your way toward Cholla Bay, the church is on the right and clearly marked.
If you would like more information about St. Joseph’s mission church in La Cholla, contact the church sexton Bob Keller by e-mail at: bob@keller.net, by phone at 928-706-6928 or by mail at P.O. Box 297, Lukeville, AZ 85341-0297.
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St. Joseph’s pastor, Padre Marco Lopez, recites a traditional prayer asking for the health and safety of attendees’ pets. The ceremony will be on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., following Mass at St. Joseph’s Chapel.
