I will share the famous legend of St. Francis of Assisi and the wolf of Gubbio.

Gubbio is a small town in Umbria, not far from Assisi. The people of Gubbio found themselves terrorized by a wolf. The wolf had killed at least one of the townspeople and they found themselves prisoners in their own homes, afraid to go out for fear of the wolf.

One day, Francis came into town and asked the townspeople why they were afraid. The people told Francis about the wolf, and knowing Francis’ reputation with animals, asked if he could do something. Francis found the wolf, scolded him for his behavior and made a deal between the wolf and the people of Gubbio. The wolf was simply hungry, so the people agreed to feed the wolf, and the wolf agreed to protect the people and not to harm them.

The legend of the wolf of Gubbio is a lesson for us. We can be afraid of those who are different from us or we can engage them and ourselves and become friends. We can forgive those who have hurt us, or we can live in anger and fear. The choice is always ours.

The Book of Blessings from the church invites us to bless pets and animals. It reads as follows: “According to the providence of the Creator, many animals have a certain role to play in human existence by helping with work or providing food and clothing. Thus, when the occasion arises, for example, the feast of some saint, the custom of invoking God’s blessing on animals may be continued.”

We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with pet blessings on Friday, Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m. with the school children and anyone else who can attend and then again on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. in the east lower parking lot at St. Theodore’s School. Everyone is welcome to attend these blessings for our pet friends and companions.

See you there!  

Marathon for Nonpublic Education is Monday

On Monday, St. Theodore’s School will hold its Marathon for Nonpublic Education. The Knights of Columbus sponsor this event and provide marshals to guide students, staff and family members along the walk around Fountain Lake.

We appreciate the local  businesses, parishioners and many others who sponsor with a donation to help with nonpublic school education. If you wish to make a donation, please send it to the school or parish office at St. Theodore. The students are still seeking and collecting pledges and we would like to double our number of donations from last year. Please be generous and thanks for your support.  

Bishop coming for Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration

Looking ahead, on Dec. 12, the Church of St. Theodore will hold its Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration. There will be a procession at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Mass at 7 p.m. with Bishop John Michael Quinn. A fiesta will follow.