To commemorate the Feast of St. Francis, The Fountains, a United Methodist Church, is hosting a Blessing of the Animals celebration Sunday, Oct. 9.

St. Francis of Assisi had a great love for animals and is often portrayed with a bird in the hand or perched tenderly on his shoulder. As an Interfaith initiative of The Fountains, this ceremony is dedicated to the animals that bring joy to life and unconditional love to their families.

The public is invited to attend this free event and to bring along their pets to join in the fun and be blessed by Reverend David Felten.

Along with an address and sing-alongs from Rev. Felton, the event will include live music, a petting zoo courtesy of Carter’s Farm Mobile Petting Zoo and a selection of amphibians and reptiles from Phoenix Herpetological Society. Girl Scouts of the U.S.A will be volunteering by handing out goodie bags for all the animals present.

“It’s a great event for kids and just to help bring people back together,” Denise Regeski said, The Fountains’ office manager who has been a church member for over 15 years.

“Especially in the last few years, more people have animals than ever before,” Regeski said. “They’re more part of the family than ever and we want to encourage that helpful response and bonding with animals.”

The Fountains will be live streaming the event on their YouTube channel @FountainsUMC. Any donations collected will go towards animal rescue. Dogs must be on-leash. For more information, visit thefountainsumc.org, or call 480-837-7627.