AUBURN - With crows swirling overhead and both the sun and the thermometer plummeting, 10 people gathered in front of the St. Francis the Assisi Church on Clark Street Sunday for a blessing of the wildlife. Also in attendance was a lame duck from the Spiritwalker Wildlife Rehab Center.
The Rev. Peter M. DeBellis led the ceremony, asking God to bless all animals. In particular, he paid special attention to those that have provided sustenance for mankind.
To conclude, he read from the Book of Genesis 2:19-20: "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
"And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field."
In October, the parish celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with blessings of pets outside of the church.
"We bless the dogs and cats. Why not have a blessing for wildlife?" said Rita Sarnicola, an Owasco resident who came to DeBellis with the idea.
With St. Francis being the patron saint of the animals, DeBellis decided to take part.
"He's known for his love of animals. It's a natural progression to come here," he said.
It was the first wildlife blessing DeBellis performed.
"We don't normally bless crows. In some religions, they're not looked at very favorably," he said.
But, most of the attention went to the duck born with a damaged webbed foot.
It lives in a playpen at the home of Trudy Gaertner, the founder of Spiritwalker Wildlife Rehab Center.
The children in attendance called him cute. Even DeBellis rubbed his neck.
Gaertner said the duck wouldn't have missed the appearance for anything.
"He likes to ride in the van," she said.
Sarnicola runs the Animal Resource Center to educate the community about various animal issues, such as spaying and neutering cats to control the feral populations.
She has also been involved with the pet food pantry and pet first aid at the American Red Cross.
Sarnicola, who lives with five cats, didn't expect the first wildlife blessing to be a huge event.
But, she hoped that 10 people and one duck would lay the foundation for greater attendance in the future.
To conclude, he read from the Book of Genesis 2:19-20: "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
"And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field."
In October, the parish celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with blessings of pets outside of the church.
"We bless the dogs and cats. Why not have a blessing for wildlife?" said Rita Sarnicola, an Owasco resident who came to DeBellis with the idea.
With St. Francis being the patron saint of the animals, DeBellis decided to take part.
"He's known for his love of animals. It's a natural progression to come here," he said.
It was the first wildlife blessing DeBellis performed.
"We don't normally bless crows. In some religions, they're not looked at very favorably," he said.
But, most of the attention went to the duck born with a damaged webbed foot.
It lives in a playpen at the home of Trudy Gaertner, the founder of Spiritwalker Wildlife Rehab Center.
The children in attendance called him cute. Even DeBellis rubbed his neck.
Gaertner said the duck wouldn't have missed the appearance for anything.
"He likes to ride in the van," she said.
Sarnicola runs the Animal Resource Center to educate the community about various animal issues, such as spaying and neutering cats to control the feral populations.
She has also been involved with the pet food pantry and pet first aid at the American Red Cross.
Sarnicola, who lives with five cats, didn't expect the first wildlife blessing to be a huge event.
But, she hoped that 10 people and one duck would lay the foundation for greater attendance in the future.
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