By Lisa Ormond | FāVS News
Dogs on leashes, cats in travel crates and a hamster in a paper box came one and all with owners in tow to receive their holy blessings at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, for the annual Blessing of the Animals event on Oct. 4.
Over 20 animal owners gathered in the parish’s parking lot with for the ceremonial day of prayers, blessings and holy water sprinklings. Each pet was given a sacred collar charm attached to a prayer card as a takeaway.
“Today is special. We should treat creation with dignity and respect always,” said the Rev. Mariusz Majewski of St. Thomas who celebrated the St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day for his parish community.
First-time attendee Tracey Christensen was excited to be there and she brought her Labradoodle Freya.
“This is a fun thing to do and it makes them part of our Catholic family,” she said. “They get to participate in our faith this way.”
The ceremony began with an introductory reading from the Book of Blessings followed by a specific prayer of blessing offered by Majewski for the animals and their caregivers.
“This day is a sign, a symbol of how important creation is,” Majewski said. “God made this beautiful universe and it should be adored with reverence.”
History of St. Francis of Assisi and Feast Day
The Blessing of Animals on Oct. 4 is a long-standing Christian tradition around the world rooted in the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who is widely known to all as the patron saint of animals, ecology and creation. It is a practice where pets are given blessings, reflecting the bond between humans and animals and honoring St. Francis’ teachings.
In the Catholic Church specifically, St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment, but he additionally is revered for embracing the spirit of poverty, generously helping the poor and ministering to lepers.
At the age of 44, Francis died in Assisi, Italy, on Oct. 4, 1226. Pope Gregory IX canonized him as a saint less than two years later.
St. Francis also was responsible for the first outdoor Christmas Nativity scene featuring live animals, which began in 1223 and is a popular activity among many faiths today.
Honoring the divine bond
The majority of the pets and their owners at Saturday’s celebration were newcomers to a pet blessing.
Catholic Marcus Vogt of Hayden was a first-timer but his 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Macallan was not. His wife Katherine Vogt had done the honors in past years.
“We love our animals and we actually pray with Macallan, so it seemed natural to have him blessed by God on this day,” said Marcus Vogt.
Reasons for coming to the celebration were many among the participants.
“We come for blessings all the time here (St. Thomas) and pray to Saint Francis all the time,” said parish member Akos Ador of Carlin Bay. He and his wife Lori brought their two Beagles, Tippy and Rocket, and at their home they said they proudly display a statute of St. Francis in their garden area.
“Plus, we just love Father Mariusz, and it means so much when he gives a blessing from God to us, so we wanted our family here, our dogs, to have the benefit of that as well.”
Lots of pets, prayers and love
Love and devotion were evident as each received the personalized blessing from Majewski. Coeur d’Alene resident Tiffanie Strasser and her son, Zela, waited patiently for their turn with their pets Golden Retriever, Adventure, Black Labrador, Drama, and cat, S’mores.
“This was an amazing blessing for our pets. Thank you to Father Mariusz!” Tiffanie said. “We’ve always wanted to do this but hadn’t. I’m glad we came today.”
Healing was another reason to be there.
Melody Larson of Rathdrum, Idaho, brought her 8-year-old Golden Retriever.
“Recently, Brody had a biopsy done on his shoulder and in his mouth. I don’t have the results yet,” she said showing the priest firsthand his wounded areas. “I’m here to let God heal him,” she added as tears fell from her eyes.
‘Dogs won the award‘
Majewski said this year’s event turnout was the largest he’d seen at his parish.
“Dogs won the award for sure,” he said for the most common pet in attendance. “Pretty much there were lots of dogs, three cats and one hamster,” he said.
Serving for 17 years as a Catholic priest in Idaho has meant Majewski has seen and blessed his fair share of God’s creations on this ceremonial day while serving his flock of parishioners.
He has always looked forward to this Catholic tradition in early October.
“It’s fun! I love pets very much!” Majewski said. “I grew up on a farm in Poland where my family had horses, cats, dogs, geese, pigs, chickens and more. So, for me, this day is just glorious.”
“I’ve blessed horses, snakes, turtles, fish and even farm animals,” Majewski said. He’s gone to many rural farms across the state of Idaho to offer animal blessings especially when serving as a Boise, Idaho, priest.
He mentioned that his “oddest” animal blessing experience was as a priest in Boise when horse owners trotted their equine animals right up the Boise Cathedral steps.
“They are very large animals, indeed,” Majewski said.
A place for faith and fellowship
After 30 minutes of parking lot pet blessings, adults and children started to leave, but the majority of participants lingered, enjoying conversation with Majewski and each other while the animals played and socialized among themselves.
First-timer Clay Jerge of Coeur d’Alene was one who took his time leaving with his dog Little Artemis, a rescue dog from California. He appreciated the event because it allowed him an opportunity to get to know Catholics outside of Mass times.
“I wanted to get her (Little Artemis) blessed and be part of the community here,” Jerge said who mentioned he had started coming to St. Thomas Catholic Church “on weekends” to explore returning to his Catholic faith roots.
“It is really good to have these activities and events to meet other Catholics and make connections beyond Sundays,” he explained. “You come to these and you feel more of the community aspect, commonality and unity.”
A day of peace
When all attendees left and Majewski packed up to walk back to his church office with his ceremonial items, he was grateful and pleased how the day unfolded and offered a final reflection mixed with a bit of humor and a sigh of relief.
“It was a good day,” he said smiling. “All dogs were well behaved and we had no causalities.”
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Thanks for giving the saintly background for this event, Lisa. Our church also had a blessing of the animals out at Cordelia, an old Swedish Lutheran church in the countyside.
That is wonderful, Walter. I appreciate how many faiths embrace this tradition and honor animals.