The Blessing of the Animals will be celebrated outside the church at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.  All companion animals and their human families are welcome. Please make sure all dogs are on leash and all cats are in a carrier.   If you wish to have a deceased animal blessed, please bring a picture, or just tell us the animal’s name.

The Feast Day of St. Francis is in October, and many churches celebrate with a ceremony around that time of year, blessing the companion animals of their members.  St. Francis is the Patron Saint of animals and the environment. One of the most amazing services occurs each year at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.  Animals blessed in that service over the years have included an elephant, a tortoise (transported on a cart through the nave to avoid any delay in the service), llamas, camels, pigs, sheep, and a kangaroo carried by Edie Falco, along with the cats, dogs, horses, and birds with whom we may be more familiar.  The service each year includes the performance of the Missa Gaia, Latin for Earth Mass, composed by Paul Winter.  The blessing itself is not delegated to low-ranking clerics.  The Episcopal Bishop of New York, The Rt. Rev. Andrew Dietsche, blesses animals during the service.

Although our ceremony on October 15 will not be as elaborate as the one at the Cathedral, our goal is that the blessing will bring honor and bliss to your animals and you.