A sweet tradition unfolded Monday, October 4 on the two campuses of Felician University when pet owners turned out for a Blessing of the Animals ceremony. The annual blessing honors the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment.  Felician Chaplain Fr. Thomas Ruekert, SDB, blessed six dogs on the Lodi campus at 1pm then went to the Rutherford campus where he blessed two more at 1:30pm. “Saint Francis of Assisi is not only a lover of animals but of all creation, and anything dealing with God and his creation is treasured in the heart of Saint Francis of Assisi,” said Fr. Ruekert.

Ingrid Dul, M.A., Interim Executive Director for Mission Integration at Felician University, brought her Peekapoo (Pekingese and poodle mix), Lacy to be blessed. “This is the first time I am bringing her to a blessing, and it might be the last time considering she is 14 years old, but it is nice to have this day in community at Felician celebrating St. Francis and bringing his spirit out in the University.”  Mary Tierney of Rutherford brought Clover, her 4-year-old Westie Maltese mix to the ceremony saying, “Just to have her blessed on St. Francis’s Day is special.”

“Hopefully they won’t freak out,” Fr. Ruekert said as he sprinkled the dogs with Holy Water. Not only did the dogs not freak out, they seemed to bask in the attention and love they were getting at the ceremony. Dr. Anthony Scardino, Associate Professor in Felician’s School of Business and Information Sciences came to the Blessing of the Animals ceremony and wished he had brought his dog Rylee out for a blessing. “Seeing this ceremony bringing us all together as a community- we can’t lose that, it is what makes our institution so special,” said Dr. Scardino.

Felician University is the only Franciscan University in New Jersey and is guided by the Felician Franciscan values including Respect for Human Dignity, Compassion, Solidarity, Diversity, and Justice and Peace.

###

About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in its schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. In the past three years, Felician University has ranked 3^rd in New Jersey in “Best Return on Investment for Private Colleges” by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and the “#1 Safest College Campus in NJ” by niche.com. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.