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Episcopal churches bless animals on St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day

October 05, 2026

[Episcopal News Service] Oct. 4 was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, and Episcopal congregations nationwide celebrated by welcoming “all creatures great and small” to church. At these special “blessing of the animals” services, Episcopalians went to church with their pets, who received special blessings. “May [our furry companions] have another year of good health and good behavior,” All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, said in an Oct. 4 Facebook post. At St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Burlington, Wisconsin, Trinity Church in the City of Boston in Massachusetts, and St. Matthew’s Episcopal School in Houma, Louisiana, the invitation was extended to scaly, feathered, furry and stuffed animals.  At Christ Episcopal Church in Lancaster, South Carolina, the invitation on its website literally meant “ALL creatures great and small,” including hamsters, turtles, birds, snakes, llamas and giraffes. “Every day we receive a special kind of unconditional love from our pets no matter how big or small,” Christ Episcopal Church’s website said. “Just as we receive blessings for ourselves, don’t our other family members deserve them too?” For farm animals and pets who feel uncomfortable leaving their homes, their human companions were instead welcome to bring photos for the blessing. St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian mystic and friar who founded the Franciscans, a Catholic religious order. He believed that all creatures, including plants, were his “brothers” and “sisters” and preached sermons to birds and other animals. St. Francis died on Oct. 3, 1226, 800 years ago. St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Ooltewah, Tennessee, took its namesake seriously during its blessing of the animals celebration, which featured a parade of animals that included insects, fish, alpacas, llamas, horses, pigs, donkeys, goats, ducks and snakes. The celebration also included a short worship service, a petting zoo and educational activities for all ages. The Pet Festival at St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida, also focused on education, including presentations by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department’s Canine Unit and a local reptile nonprofit. Local rescue groups also brought in adoptable pets for visits. Some churches, like St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in West Seattle, Washington, gave visiting pets St. Francis medals during its blessing of the animals. General Convention has passed 10 resolutions since 2003 affirming the practical and spiritual significance of pets, including service animals. Some of the resolutions include adopting special prayers and liturgy for animal caretakers and for observing the loss of a companion animal. “Our pets are often sources of comfort, joy and unconditional love – reminding us of God’s own faithfulness,” St. John’s Episcopal Church Norwood in Chevy Chase, Maryland, said on its website. The spoken blessing for the animals comes from The Episcopal Church’s 2022 Book of Occasional Services, called “St. Francis Day/Blessing of the Animals”: “God’s animals inhabit the sky, the land and the sea; we share the Earth with them, and like them, rely on God’s blessing to sustain and preserve us. We gather today in communion and friendship with Francis of Assisi, who preached to animals and moved throughout the known world sharing God’s unconditional love for all beings. Remembering Francis’ love for all God’s creatures, bring forward the animals entrusted to your care so that we may bless them.” At All Saints Episcopal Church in Sunderland, Maryland, the annual blessing of the animals tradition “is guaranteed to bring smiles, laughter and a few unexpected moments,” according to the parish’s Instagram post promoting its service. The blessing of the animals service is “one of the most beloved events of the year” at Washington National Cathedral. This year, the cathedral partnered with City Dogs and City Kitties Rescue and Miri’s Haven Senior Dogs to share how to get involved with the nonprofit organizations’ work during the service. Some churches, like St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Port Neches, Texas, collected pet food to donate to local animal shelters. For St. Francis Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, the “blessing of the animals” is both a celebration of pets and a celebration of St. Francis’ namesake church and city. Human participants made treats for San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Some churches, like St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Thousand Oaks, California, honored deceased pets to “remember those beloved pets whom we love but see no longer.” Ahead of its blessing of the animals service at Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia, the Rev. Anne Michele Turner, rector, wrote in a blog post on the church’s website encouraging people to consider climate change and human activities affecting wild animals when reflecting on St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day: “When we bless the animals, do we only pray for dogs and cats? What would it mean to offer our blessing to endangered red wolves and North Atlantic right whales, dying off because of human activity in their habitats? What would it mean to bless the osprey that are declining in number because their diet of fish is declining in number, too? How might we bless the salamanders and toads whose suffering is the first sign of a poisoned environment?” Turner said.  “The reality of climate change means that such blessings are not just fanciful. They are an urgent ethical obligation. If we are to be good stewards of the world God has made for us, we have to consider how our fellow creatures are suffering. Our well-being is interlinked.” –Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.