November 3, 2006

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church celebrates Feast Day

Special to the Times

On October 7, the community of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church held its 10th annual Feast Day celebration.

In the spirit of our patron saint, a “blessing of the animals” took place after a morning Mass, which focused on the theme of “Commitment to Peace.”

From 11 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., the fun and festivities included many delicious food booths, a book fair, a Children’s Carnival, Outdoor Family Games and Bingo.

This year’s theme was “Hometown Harvest Hoe-Down,” and the church’s first Hometown Parade was held, with participants carrying flags and wearing native costumes of many of the cultures represented at St. Francis. The parade also featured a drill team, a band, and vintage cars. After the parade, the community gathered for a blessing of the “Peace Opole,” which is a sign of commitment to prayer and fasting for peace.

Unique to the celebration is the church’s Book Fair. Books, dvd’s, and videos of all kinds were donated. Those attending select the books they want to take home and give a donation, which goes to feed the hungry.

In addition to staffing a food booth, each of the Ecclesial communities was responsible for a theme basket to be raffled off during the day. This year’s theme baskets were even more spectacular than in previous years and generated lots of interest and excitement. The Youth of the parish took care of staffing the Children’s Carnival, which was provided by “Parties To Go”, and the Outdoor Family Games.

To cap off the day, Feast Day attendees took part in Square and Line Dancing. What fun!