National Cathedral’s “Blessing of the Animals” is Sunday

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caroline Angelo

From a press release:

“Washington National Cathedral will welcome pets of all kinds and their caretakers to the building’s West Front for “Blessing of the Animals” on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The event is part of the Cathedral’s celebration of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment. In the past, dogs, cats, horses, ferrets and guinea pigs have all assembled at the Cathedral to receive blessings.

This year, animals will be receiving their blessings with the “Carnival of the Animals” sculpture exhibit in the background. All pieces in the exhibit are by Danish bronze artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup and include a lion on a rocking horse, a giraffe on stilts, a cheetah on a scooter, a kangaroo on a Pogo stick and the stand off between the tortoise and the hare, reimagined as a potato sack race.

WHAT: Blessing of the Animals, featuring the “Carnival of the Animals” Sculpture Exhibit
WHEN: Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW,
Walker Court, West Front of the Building, Facing Wisconsin Avenue”