People are not the only ones going to church this week.
Pets of every kind are also lining up to get a blessing. It happens every fall, especially at Catholic Churches. Annual pet blessings are held at churches around the nation on or around Oct. 4 in celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis is known as the patron saint of animals. Several stories are used to illustrate his love of animals.
- He sang to the birds and called them his “sisters.”
- St. Francis tamed a wolf that was terrorizing a community in the city of Gubbio, in Umbria.
- He preached to both man and animals about the need to praise God.
- St. Francis often spoke of the duty we have to care for God’s creation.
Americancatholic.org gives an example of a prayer often held for a pet blessing:
“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.”
The tradition is also spreading to other faiths, the Episcopal News Service reported Sunday. An interfaith group took to the ocean to bless the waves of Huntington Beach in California. Members of various faiths – including Muslims, Jews and Christians -- sent prayers over the Pacific Ocean.
Clergy are getting requests to bless just above everything these days, the Episcopal News Service reported. Among them are roads, backpacks, boats and even resumes.
Given today’s economy, an annual blessing of resumes might not be a bad idea, either
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