Blessing of the pets at JFK
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Deacon Jeffrey Hirst blessed the pets of John F. Kennedy Catholic School students Oct. 4, the day of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Sebastian Jayakumar, 8, a third-grader, keeps an eye on his two frogs before they are blessed. Hirst blessed Piper, 3, a Labrador retriever owned by preschool mom Kellie Swart of Washington. Second-graders who were unable to bring pets brought in stuffed animals, and took the blessings home to share.