blessing-L1001618
On Sunday October 3rd, just over a half dozen dogs (that’s counting the dogs confined to their master’s cars unable to control their unholy behavior … for their master’s reference, confessions are available ½ hour before Saturday evening Mass or upon request). However, St. Francis and St Joseph were both smiling with the situation and thoroughly enjoyed both the animals, their keepers, and the prayers said by La Salette Padre Juan Patricio Sullivan, MS. The service was said in English; then again, he, having spent 19 years as a missionary in Argentina, was able to recite a few prayers in Spanish for the two dogs that began their lives in Puerto Rico, barking Espanol fluently! It was one of the many services offered at the shrine this past summer that highlighted the Shrine theme: “Mary … Uniting All Cultures!” And, the dogs were indeed of all cultures, all sizes, all colors, all ages, possibly all religions, and “All Welcomed!”