Bless Our Pets

Image source: http://htelc.ca

 

By Jessica Stevens

The Feast of St. Francis, a commemoration of the life of St. Francis, is celebrated by many churches in the United States. One of the ways churches celebrate is by hosting a Blessing of the Animals. During the Blessing of the Animal’s members of a church will attend a service with their pets to be blessed, whether they are cats, dogs, birds or fish. The Blessing of the Animals helps reinforce that God loves all his creatures and to remind people that God calls on them to be good stewards of his creations. If members of the church cannot bring in the pet, they are encouraged to bring a photo or a stuffed animal in its place. The service generally starts off with a verbal blessing and holy water sprinkle. Other churches might ask for members to bring in animal food, blankets, or toys to be donated to local animal shelters during the Feast. 

 

At the University of St. Francis in Joliet students, staff and faculty brought in their pets to be blessed by Fr. Terry Deffenbaugh in the Quad on Oct. 2. Members of the USF’s St. Joseph Chapel gathered together outside with their pets and face coverings to stay Covid-19 safe.

 

 

On Oct. 3, St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield celebrated the Blessing of the Animals with a drive-thru blessing. Members of the church stayed in their cars and received the blessing from Deacon Glenn Vanek and Re. John Regan.

 

Rev. Peter Jankowski of St. Patrick’s Church in Joliet conducted the blessing at the Joliet Township Animal Control facility alongside a microchipping event and held a second blessing at the church on Oct. 3.

 

Other churches held a virtual Blessing of the Animals for those who are quarantining or avoiding crowds because of Covid-19.

 

Blessing of All the Pets:

God, our Creator, we ask you to bless our pets with Your light and love. May our animal friends have good health, happy lives and always be protected and safe. We ask for better understanding as we learn from our animal friends’ wisdom, their innocence, their loyalty and particularly their seeming ability to not judge human beings unkindly. Thank you for the pleasures, playfulness and sometimes the surprising humor our pets display. Thank you for their companionship and friendship especially for those lonely hours we may have experienced. Thank you for our companions’ natural ability to teach us to be aware of the present moment. Thank you for the pure beauty of every animal - their form, color, texture, motion is all a work of art, and may we appreciate Your creation of this masterpiece. Bless all animals in harm’s way, heal the sick, protect those who are lost, and guide them to safety. Thank you for the gift of love. Amen.