“I’m his mama,” she said.

The Rev. José Antonio Carballo, rector of the cathedral, addressed the pets waiting attentively and calmly in their owners’ arms during his service.“We ask the Lord to bless them, so he can preserve them and care for them, since they bring company and encouragement to their caretakers,” Carballo said.

As soon as he finished noon Mass, pet owners headed to the cathedral’s entrance, where Carballo sprinkled holy water on both humans and pets.There was Jerome, a black and tan colored yorkie, held by loving owner Gabriela Viquez.She adopted him four years ago as a pup and immediately fell head over heels for him. Since then, on the anniversary of the day he arrived home, she gets a cake and hosts a party to celebrate Jerome.

“I once spoke to a person who can talk to animals and she told me that he once was a gift for someone, but was later abandoned and beaten, so he carried a lot of trauma,” Viquez said.“We are now very happy together and it was a fortune to have found each other.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s

with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.— and then restricting its use to people at higher risk from the virus. They’ve also suggested

to match the latest circulating virus strains are new products requiring extra testing.The changes cross multiple health agencies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t yet acted onon use of a new meningitis shot or broader RSV vaccination. A meeting of