Blessing of Animals on 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
On 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is regarded as the patron of animals and of nature, animals are blessed in churches all over the world. Stories of his sermon to the birds and of the wolf of Gubbio are associated with the name of Francis, and so in many Christian communities there is a tradition of blessing animals on this day.
The blessing of the animals at the Episcopal Church of Saint John in New YorkThe blessing of the animals at the Episcopal Church of Saint John in New York
This is a Catholic tradition, but not an exclusively Catholic one: the blessing of the animals on 4 October is also held in Anglican, Episcopal, some Lutheran and other Christian communities. The priest reads a prayer, thanks God for creation and asks a blessing for the animals and for the people who look after them.
Most often people come to the ceremony with their domestic animals: dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses. The animals need not, however, be brought into the church itself. In many parishes the ceremony takes place in front of the church, in the yard or on the lawn. This makes it possible to gather many people and animals together and not to subject the pets to needless stress. In some communities, by contrast, the animals are admitted inside and attend a special service together with their owners.
Wild animals, too, accord with the meaning of the feast: the Franciscan tradition stresses the unity of all living things.
At the heart of the tradition lies not the “consecration” of pets but gratitude for life and a reminder of man’s responsibility for other living creatures.
