On Saturday, October 6, 2007, in honor of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Father Rome will be Blessing The Animals at 11:00 a.m. in front of St. Luke Church. Come join him and bring your pet (s) to have them blessed. All that is asked is that you have your pet (s) restrained on a leash or in a pet carrier.
Father was up at my house today and we asked him to Bless Mary Kay’s two cats that survived the fire last Memorial Day. Jazmin did us proud and in the middle of the Blessing left the room and went to use her litter box. Maxine was her usual self and we asked Father Rome to say just a little extra in the Blessing that she be a good girl.
I hope the weather is nice as I plan to be up there to take a few pictures. Now you don’t need to be Catholic to bring your animals, as to the best of my knowledge Mary Kay’s two cat’s don’t belong to any particular denomination.
Looking forward to seeing you there and I do hope you will allow me to take some pictures so I can put up a slide show.
Below is a little history on The Custom of The Blessing of Animals:
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.
Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.
Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” And there was testimony in the cause for St. Clare of Assisi’s canonization that referred to her little cat!
That there are today over 62 million cats in the U.S. attests to the continuing affection we have for our furry, feathered or finned friends. We've even had a cat called Socks in the White House. Other popular presidential pets range from Abraham Lincoln’s Fido to Lyndon Johnson’s beagles, named Him and Her.
For single householders, a pet can be a true companion. Many people arrive home from work to find a furry friend overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature.
The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love.
No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing. Church is the place where the bond of creation is celebrated.
At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with a special prayer. The Blessing of Pets usually goes like this:
“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.”[/b]
