Seaford church holds animal blessing

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St. James Roman Catholic Church on Hicksville Road in Seaford held its Blessing of the Animals service for the Feast of Saint Francis on the afternoon of Oct. 6. The Rev. Derasmo, the church’s pastor, said that around the Feast of Saint Francis, the church blesses the pets of people in the community to underscore the sacred nature of people’s relationships with their pets. “I think it is important for them to see that even the church sees that the relationship that they have with their pets is something very holy,” he said. Derasmo said that people have told the him that after being blessed, a pet has been healed of an ailment. “This is always our hope,” he said.

Erin Mavroudis of Levittown brought her dog, Wishes, for the first time to be blessed. Mavroudis said that as a very devote Catholic, she feels that having Wishes be blessed is important. “I feel that he also has God’s watch and God’s eyes [on him],” Mavroudis said. “I feel like dogs bring out our love for each other in a spirit that you can’t explain.” Mavroudis said that having Wishes be blessed lets her know that God is watching over him. She hopes he will stay healthy and have a long life. Derasmo blessed the people’s pets with a relic holding a chip of St. Francis’ bone that had been from Assisi, Italy.