Bring your pets to church, Haitian immigrant priest tells worshippers. 'I am not going to eat them ... I will bless them."
The Rev. Jean Beniste, a Haitian immigrant, blesses an individual and her dog on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, during a Blessing of the Animals in the garden of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Concord, N.H., where Beniste serves as rector. (Photo by G. Jeffrey MacDonald)
CONCORD, N.H. (RNS) — At St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Concord, New Hampshire, the Rev. Jean Beniste, a Haitian immigrant and Episcopal priest turned internet curses into blessings during an annual blessing of the animals, held in honor of St. Francis.
