He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy

(with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals

on his feast day of 4 October.

Genesis 1:28 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Let us pray: -

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,All praise is Yours, all glory, honour and blessings.To you alone, Most High, do they belong; no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air, fair and stormy, all weather's moods,by which You cherish all that You have made.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water,so useful, humble, precious and pure.

We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire,through whom You light the night. He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.

We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth, who sustains uswith her fruits, coloured flowers, and herbs. Amen.

The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of

roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the

Virgin Mary.

The rosary, as we know it today was given to the

Church by St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominicans,

(Fr. Tim’s religious congregation) in 1214.

The rosary, even though praying the Hail Mary helps us focus on

the life of Jesus.

Hail Mary,full of grace,

the Lord is with thee,blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The earliest use of prayer beads can be traced to

Hinduism, where they are called Japa Mala. Japa is the repeating of the name of a

deity or a mantra. Mala (Sanskrit:मा�ला�;mālā) means

"garland" or "wreath".

Japa mala are used for repetition of a mantra, for

other forms of sadhana (spiritual exercise), and as an aid to meditation. The most common mala have

108 beads.

In Islam, bismillah prayer beads are referred to as Misbaha or Tasbih, and contain 99 beads,

corresponding to the 99 Names of Allah. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would

cycle through them three times to equal 99.

Spend time thinking of how you would describe God? What names are helpful to you?

Jesus taught the disciples to call God Father, so as children of God we pray together:

Our Father,Who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread,And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive thoseWho trespass against us

And lead us not into temptationBut deliver us from all evil. Amen.

The Rosary's combines prayer and meditation in sequences (called

"decades") of an Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be to the Father.

Prayers for today:

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be to the Father, and tothe Son and to the Holy Spirit, as itwas in the beginning, is now andever shall be . Amen.