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Elephants Blessed Before Circus Debut

Tribune photo by DEBORAH MERON

National Circus Chaplain Father Jerry Hogan said a prayer for the elephants before sprinkling them with holy water at the St. Pete Times Forum.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 3, 2008

TAMPA - Elephants with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus were blessed Wednesday before their debut in Tampa.

"We like to bless the animals in the performance to show that they're all gifts from God," the Rev. Jerry Hogan said. The tradition began in Sarasota in 1918.

Hogan, chaplain to the nation's circuses, sprinkled the beasts with holy water and said a prayer in the plaza outside St. Pete Times Forum. Appointed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Hogan serves an estimated 10,000 circus workers.

The six elephants were too busy eating to notice a spritz of holy water. They were treated to a meatless feast of fruit, bread and vegetables. Circus clowns rolled watermelons to the animals, who made a show of squashing the melons with their feet and swigging the pieces back with their trunks.

Deborah Meron

Keyword: Circus, for information on circus tickets and times.

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