Three sheep named Elizabeth, Mott and Mulberry are wrapping up a stay in the churchyard of the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Nolita.
They hail from a farm in upstate New York, and they're the second delegation of their kind to visit the church. A trio of woolly quadrupeds made a splash last fall during a stay that started during the Feast of San Gennaro in September and ended with the Blessing of the Animals in October. Elizabeth, Mott and Mulberry were featured in recent a profile by the Wall Street Journal.
"They've become quite an atrraction," St. Patrick's parishioner and ministry lead Frank Alfieri told DNAinfo. He added that the program was originally conceived as a way to represent the good shepherd. Sheep are referenced in the bible more than any other animal, he said, making them excellent candidates for a goodwill ambassadorship. But the animals have an appeal beyond their religious significance: even for secular passers-by, Alfieri notes, "the sheep are comforting."
The three sheep are scheduled to head back upstate Saturday, July 11. Stop by before then if you want to say hello.