COLUMBUS, Ga- October 4 is a special day for animal lovers. It’s St. Francis Day– a day that recognizes the saint who had a tremendous love for animals and nature. Tuesday, St. Anne Church was offering the Blessing of the Animals.

“Bertha. She’s my chicken,” said Madelynn Cornavaca.

Before little Madelynn Cornavaca went to class Tuesday morning at St. Anne-Pacelli, her mom let her stop by to get a blessing for Bertha.

“And she’s been laying out really small eggs lately. And I don’t know why she’s stressed, but we wanted to get her blessed so she wouldn’t be stressed anymore,” said Madelynn.

Madelynn wasn’t alone. Folks of all ages stopped by to get their favorite animal companions blessed. Michael West-Dominguez brought his family’s pup Mellow.

“I mean Mellow is a part of the family, you know, and one of the important parts of family is the church and our faith, so we thought it was special bringing him out here and getting him blessed by the father,” said West-Dominguez.

For Jason Davenport, it was a family affair, too. His daughter wanted a blessing for their dog, Sparky.

“This is the first time we’ve done it. It’s neat getting to see other people’s pets and stuff,” said Jason Davenport.

Father Jeremiah McCarthy, pastor of St. Anne, says St. Francis Day is the perfect time to celebrate mankind’s love for pets and nature.

“How richer our world is because of the beautiful animals because of the beautiful animals, domesticated and wild, that are a part of God’s creation,” said Father McCarthy.

The blessing of the animals is annual event held here at St. Anne in honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.