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The Feast of St. Francis has a special place in my heart. It was on this feast when I attended Mass inside St. Peter's in Rome.

It was also on this feast, a while back, when the priest of the parish we attended (this was in Maryland on a Navy base) decided on the feast of St. Francis he wanted to include pets and bless them at Mass. So, we had Mass outside. People brought blankets and lawn chairs - and all their pets. At the time we had a heinz-57 who was really sweet. Anyway, those animals - mostly dogs - were perfectly quiet through the whole Mass. They sat or layed at their masters' feet and were all very well-behaved. It was amazing. Then there was the full bird marine colonel with the gold bridgework and the fighter pilot bad-a$$ shades holding a hamster in a cage. It was just a neat experience.