125758785_web1_web1_luzerne-county-courthouse-1

Latest Luzerne County monthly personnel report released

Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies from COVID-19 at age 81

HANOVER TWP. &mdash; On the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, long known and renowned for his love of animals, pet owners had their good boys and girls blessed at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish on Sunday afternoon.
				About 15 dogs of all ages, breeds, shapes and sizes congregated just outside the church as pastor Robert Cirba led a short service and the blessing of the animals.
				&ldquo;Usually we get some cats and other animals, too,&rdquo; Cirba said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve blessed gerbils and all sort of animals in past years.&rdquo;
				Exaltation of the Holy Cross has been doing this ceremony for the last five or six years now, and they&rsquo;re not alone in doing so.
				&ldquo;The blessing of the animals on St Francis&rsquo;s feast day is a non-denominational ceremony,&rdquo; Cirba said. &ldquo;Parishes all over do it, as well.&rdquo;
				The service was live-streamed for anyone who couldn&rsquo;t make it to the church on Sunday, and Cirba made sure to reference the pets watching from home in his blessing, as well.
				A lot of the service&rsquo;s attendees are regulars at this particular ceremony and appreciate the time that the parish takes to recognize the importance of pets.
				&ldquo;Pets are part of the family. They&rsquo;re just like humans,&rdquo; said Wendy Kane, who had taken part in the ceremony before but brought her 9-month-old dog, Finley, for his first time. &ldquo;Why shouldn&rsquo;t we bless them, too?&rdquo;
				Among the other dogs on hand were Tito, a veteran of the ceremony at 17 years old; two different dogs named Buddy and 9-year-old Isabella, who sat calmly in her owner&rsquo;s arms the entire time.
				&ldquo;I was shocked,&rdquo; said Isabella&rsquo;s owner, Bonnie Costantino. &ldquo;She was so well-behaved.&rdquo;
				Some of the dogs were receiving their blessing in the hope that it might help with some ailments, while others were simply happy to be blessed.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy that I still get to have him,&rdquo; said Christine Skyro, Tito&rsquo;s owner. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice that the church cares about our animals as much as we do.&rdquo;

Heavenly help for man’s best friend