St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church blesses parishioners' pets

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church blessed the animals of the parishioners to show their love for the other creatures. (Photo taken from the official website of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church)

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church blessed its parishioners' pets on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the church’s parking lot.

It advised parishioners who have sick pets to use a carrier or just bring their pets' pictures. 

The church added that they could also get photos of those animal companions who died.

History of Animal Blessing

The Center of Veterinary Enterprise (COVE) website revealed that blessing the animals is rooted in a Roman Catholic tradition. They noted that it is a part of the celebration of St. Francis of Assisi. 

As further explained, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and nature. They said that the saint is one of the most loved Catholic saints by many parishioners. The website mentioned that many people like St. Francis because of his authenticity and profound honor for all creations. 

Moreover, St. Francis believes that humans are interconnected with other creations. In the veterinary community, the website stated that the saint is also famous.

Connection with Animals

St. Francis dedicated most of his time to caring for the sick and poor despite being born into a wealthy family, as mentioned on the website. 

They revealed that he has an extraordinary bond with animals even though he swore to address poverty. As further explained on the website, people see St. Francis preaching to birds while they are on his hands. 

Besides, they said that the saint had an agreement between a village and a hungry wolf. In the said negotiation, the wolf should not kill the inhabitants or animals, but the people in the town should feed the wolf. 

More importantly, the website mentioned that St. Francis thinks all creatures should be treated with kindness and respect. For him, every animal is a brother or a sister, as posted on the website. 

Ceremony for Animals

In addition, the website stated that individuals gather with their animals wherever the blessing has been hosted. They usually hold it at churches or parks, as further explained. They mentioned that some just bring pictures if it is too difficult for the animals to join the event. 

According to the website, they usually have a short ceremony that includes a prayer or dedication. The animals would also receive a verbal blessing and spritzed holy water.

They emphasized that blessing the animals magnifies the celebration of the relationship humans have with animals. They added that they celebrate the love and respect of people for their pets.

Meanwhile, the same website revealed that this tradition had become well known outside the Catholic religion, and believers of many faiths adopted the special ceremony for animals. As further explained, some animals are allowed inside the church so people can see them with their humans.

They noted that they often host the animal blessing outdoors. Most animals involved in the event are dogs and cats. However, the website mentioned those other kinds of animals could still receive a blessing. These animals include birds, reptiles, horses, etc.
 

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