TheseĀ St. Francis of Assisi glass pendant charm necklaces were recently introduced in the Tripawds Etsy gift shop.
Even though we’re not the most religious people, the story of St. Francis has special significance for us. Here’s why:
The Jerry and St. Francis Connection
Tripawds founder Jerry earned his wings on October 3, which is the same day that St. Francis of Assisi was laid to rest in the year 1226.
Also known asĀ Giovanni Francesco Bernardone, thisĀ Franciscan friarĀ is also known to Catholics as theĀ patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy.
It is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day of October fourth.
Shortly after Jerry earned his wings on October 3rd, we realized why he chose that time to leave; to honor St. Francis, which he explains in this blog entry:
“I had to be there for him.
My people now believe that I let them know it was my time last week because I needed to sit at the feet of St. Francis while we blessed all the animals, brought to all the churches, everywhere, last Sunday. Which we did.”
Although St. Francis is mostly honored by Catholics, many non-Catholics also pay homage to his significant contribution to the overall health and welfare of animals at a very early time in human history. His compassion and care for all types of creatures set an example for people to acknowledge the beauty and significance of animals and recognize them as unique, sentient beings worthy of kindness and love.
Where would we be without him today?
This is nice. I took Cadence to be blessed last last year at my dad’s church which offers blessings to animals in honor of St. Francis. She got a little pendant with St. Francis on it that she wears on her collar.
Too cute! And you can’t go wrong when St. Francis is on your collar. Stay tuned, we’ll have some of those too, very soon.
Great idea! I have a pic on my blog of Abby telling her troubles to the St. Francis statue in my sis’s yard.
My hubby is such an animal lover, my family calls him Mike of Assisi.
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Great idea! I already have St. Francis tags on all of my German Shepherds (all 12 of them, 9 of them now)…I found these tags in the gift shop at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. about four or five years ago. My late mother was the first person to ever tell me about St. Francis. And, I recall a church in Palm Beach, Florida that always puts on a huge “production” of the blessing of the animals around that date; they always get coverage in the newspaper and it’s great to see all the animals and the love that the people have for them!