The Feast of St. Francis, and the Blessing of the Animals, falls on Sunday this year, and at Trinity Buffalo, I’m pleased to be singing one of my favorite solos about animals, “The Monk and His Cat” from Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs. After the service, join us for the Blessing of the Animals as well — my HoneyBear will participate! In-person Blessing of the Animals at 2:00 and 4:00pm in the Trinity courtyard (mask & social distance protocols will be followed).

Both a good chuck of my undergrad, and my Masters thesis, were on Franciscan Studies, mainly through a gender hermeneutic. I research, gave papers and taught classes on gender-bending in Franciscan piety, especially with Francesco himself and Angela of Foligno, given his unique christological understanding. I won a fellowship at the annual Franciscan Studies Conference in Assisi, and that town is one of my favorite spots on the planet.

Plus… I loooooooove animals!!!