Blessing

In horsy communities, Anglican and Episcopal priests commonly bless foxhounds on St. Hubert's Day (November 3). At least one Manhattan night club has been blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest -- Prince Serge Obolensky's Maisonette Russe. Besides blessing persons,

Roman Catholic priests sanctify houses, ships, domestic animals, bodies of water--even such humble but useful things as wells.

Last week there arrived in the U. S. an account of a Sunday service at the Circus Krone, a European outfit in London, in which the animals were blessed with full Roman Catholic ritual. Thus a new British organization, the Catholic Circus Guild, made its bow. Dominican Father Cyprian Rice preached a sermon; another Dominican, Prior Antoninus Maguire, sprinkled holy water from an aspergillum on a tiger, a trained Pekingese, some horses and six pretty little albino donkeys. Three large brown bears were brought in, pushed into seats, blessed and photographed, looking clumsily reverent and infinitely sad.

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