“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and
animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this
pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your
beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”
As autumn arrives, people in various places may notice something odd.
A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets.
This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.
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We have our blessing of the animals this Sunday at my church St. Francis of Assisi here in my hometown! It is a wonderful service.
I wonder if there is a Catholic church in Ferguson, MO.
I mean animals are animals.
I’m not Catholic so I never learned about St Francis of Assisi in church. At 16 I somehow managed , in a small town , to get my hands on a copy of Playboy that had an article titled St Francis & the Hippies. To make up for my sin I became intrigued about the life of St Francis, read several books about him, saw the movie Brother Sun Sister Moon when it was first shown in theaters & later purchased the VHS tape. He lead a spiritual life worth thinking about. I guess good seeds can be planted in poor soil and yet grow to a good purpose. The Blessing of Pets seems an appropriate Little Flower in remembrance of St Francis.
Sure hope the mallard and bunnies don’t hang out with the fox too long …
ya can’t deny nature.
Animals that serve man are especially blessed.
God spoke to Balaams ass, turning him away from the destruction the angel would have delivered to the donkey.
Please, God, dont warn the democrats this time.
I’m partial to the doggies, myself, and I’ve been asking St. Francis for prayers for my Aussie Shepherd. He picked up the mange mites pretty bad somewhere out on the range, and I’ve been dipping him with the powerful stuff, and he just lays there and takes it. Poor guy is miserable with his feet and ears all blistered up. A good servant like that is worth whatever work it takes to get him back on all 4 paws again.
I teach at a Catholic high school and I am Catholic as well. We had a Blessing of the Animals yesterday after school. My oldest daughter brought our four year old black lab, Kevin. After the blessing with holy water his now known as Kevin Francis Xavier Benedict Augustine.
Always be kind to small children and animals. They have the eyes and ears of God.