Each year, my husband and I and our beloved dogs look forward to Prairiewoods’ annual Blessing of the Animals. It’s a chance for our pups to meet dozens of other dogs, cats, guinea pigs, bunnies, bearded dragons, donkeys, turtles, etc. from around the corridor. (And this year’s Blessing will be extra special for me, because we recently added a second dog to our family—little Lucy—and the wild little pup definitely needs to be blessed!)
The celebration always takes place near St. Francis Day, since St. Francis was a lover of animals great and small. This year’s celebration will take place on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 1–4 p.m. It begins with the Blessing at 1 p.m., but we’re invited to stick around for a full afternoon of fun.
Following the Blessing, we’ll take a pilgrimage to sacred sites around Prairiewoods. This will include a stop at our Green Prairie Garden, which is a huge vegetable garden we share with Metro Catholic Outreach, giving about 1,500 pounds of produce each year to those in need through MCO’s food pantry. We’ll also visit the new Green Community Gardens, which we launched with Linn County Master Gardeners this spring. We’ll stop at the brand new Four Winds Food Forest, an edible learning and lounging space designed by Backyard Abundance and tended by some faithful volunteers. Finally, we’ll stop at Prairiewoods’ sacred Labyrinth, which recently got a new bell tower. Bring your walking shoes, because you won’t want to miss this educational and fun time of exploration!
Following the pilgrimage (or instead of it, if you’re not up for walking), you can enjoy live music and a variety of family-friendly games and activities. Best of all, this whole afternoon is free! I hope you’ll join me and my pups, Callie and Lucy, for this fun afternoon in honor of our beloved animal kin!
—Andi Lewis, Prairiewoods marketing coordinator