Father Joseph Graffis blessed a pair of guinea pigs belonging to Katie Chase, left, and her daughter Caitlin, a fifth-grader at Our Lady of Lourdes School. Our Lady of Lourdes Church held the blessing on Sept. 28. The blessing of the animals is a tradition tied to the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of animals. The school’s first-graders led the service with Scripture and a reminder that St. Francis was a man of peace who cared for all of God’s creation. (Photo Special to The Record)
