Pet Blessing at Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity parishioners are invited to bring their pets to the church this Sunday, October 4 at 4:30 p.m. for…
Holy Trinity parishioners are invited to bring their pets to the church this Sunday, October 4 at 4:30 p.m. for a special Blessing of Pets marking the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Father Paul may need a lint roller after this furry event!
Dogs, cats and other pets are welcome, but owners are asked to be cautious and respectful around every animal attending. All pets must be on a leash or otherwise safely secured and under control at all times. Even the friendliest animal can react differently around unfamiliar people, other dogs or a busy crowd, so please give animals space and do not approach or pet someone else’s animal without permission.
It should be a lively afternoon. St. Francis would probably approve.
October 4 is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the Church’s most recognized saints and a man whose spirituality became deeply connected with animals and the natural world.
Francis was born into a wealthy family in Assisi around 1181. After experiences of war, illness and conversion, he eventually left that life behind and embraced poverty, prayer and service.
What emerged was a remarkably simple way of looking at the world: everything comes from God, and creation should lead us back to the Creator.
Francis did not simply admire nature. He saw a relationship between all of God’s creation. In his famous Canticle of the Creatures, he referred to the sun, moon, wind, water and earth as brothers and sisters offering praise to God.
Pope Francis later wrote in Laudato si’ that St. Francis would look upon even the smallest animals with affection and draw creation into his praise of God. Pope St. John Paul II formally proclaimed St. Francis the patron saint of those who study and work in ecology in 1979.
Over the centuries, stories of Francis preaching to birds and his encounter with the wolf of Gubbio helped cement the familiar image of the saint surrounded by animals.
But the point is bigger than Francis simply being an animal lover.
He saw them as part of God’s creation.
A pet blessing is not a sacrament, and Catholics are not treating animals as though they receive the sacraments intended for people.
Instead, the blessing is an act of thanksgiving to God and a prayer for the animals placed in our care.
Catholic teaching describes animals as creatures of God that should be treated with kindness and responsible stewardship. The Church also teaches that people have a responsibility not to cause animals needless suffering.
For pet owners, that can make the blessing remarkably personal.
Anyone who has been greeted at the door by an overexcited dog, had a cat curl up beside them at exactly the right moment, or simply experienced the steady companionship of an animal already understands that gratitude.
The blessing gives us an opportunity to say thank you.
The Holy Trinity Blessing of Pets takes place Sunday, October 4 at 4:30 p.m.
Please keep pets leashed, secured and under control, allow plenty of space between animals. Remember that we do not know how another person’s pet will react to strangers or other animals.
There may be some barking, some excitement, even be a little chaos.
But for one afternoon, that seems entirely appropriate.
We will gather with the animals that share our lives, thank God for them, and ask His blessing upon them.
