Religion Notebook: Pet blessings planned

Traditionally, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi is held on Oct. 4. To observe the day, many area churches are offering special Blessing of the Animals ceremonies for anyone with a pet.

• St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave., will present its annual worship and blessing Sunday during the 10:45 a.m. service.

Pets are invited to the service to sit with their families and receive a blessing.

For more information, call the church office at (509) 747-6677.

• Messiah Lutheran Church , 4202 N. Belt St., will offer its Blessing of the Animals service Sunday at 2 p.m.

All pets and their owners are welcome.

For more information, call the church office at (509) 327-4446.

• St. Patrick Catholic School, 2706 E. Queen Ave., will welcome families and their pets for its annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony Monday in the school parking lot at 8:45 a.m.

For more information, call (509) 638-2527.

Lectures and discussions

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 1325 E. Queen Ave., will present a series of discussions about books by C.S. Lewis on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. during the month of October.

The first discussion, “It’s all in Plato,” is inspired by the book, “The Last Battle,” the final book of the “Chronicles of Narnia” on Tuesday. The discussion will take a look at the way in which Platonic philosophy influenced Lewis.

For more information, call the church office at (509) 484-1604.

• St. Aloysius Parish , 330 E. Boone Ave., will present facilitator Mitch Finley in “Does Your Catholic Skin Still Fit?” a series of Monday evening discussions starting this Monday at 7 p.m.

The discussion will be an opportunity to discuss issues related to the church, its practice and its culture.

The series will run through Oct. 25.

There is no registration necessary and the series is free to attend.

For more information, call (509) 313-7006.

Fundraisers

• Catholic Charities of Spokane’s Childbirth and Parenting Assistance program will present “Linking Families for Life,” a silent art auction, dinner and presentation Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Gonzaga Prep Barbieri Center, 1224 E. Euclid Ave.

Dr. Kent Hoffman, an expert on attachment and bonding, will give the presentation.

The cost to attend is $50 and half of that fee is tax deductable.

For more information or to make a reservation, call (509) 358-4264 or e-mail yshulman@ccspokane.org.