Sunday closest to October 4. In the Roman Catholic tradition, October 4 is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis (1182-1226) was a monk who founded the contemporary order of Franciscans. He was known for his vow of poverty and his special connection to animals, among many other things. Many Unitarian Universalists have picked up on the Catholic tradition of blessing animals, particularly pets, on this day. St. Francis may receive little attention at this service, but a number of congregations will bless pets at the service. Some people bring their pets to church, others bring photographs of their pets; others have their pets blessed by naming them. Some congregations celebrate this service at other, variable times of the year.
Brenda Miller offers a compelling retelling of her first experience with such a service in her essay, Blessing of the Animals (PDF, 14 pages), which can be found in her Skinner House book, Listening Against the Stone: Selected Essays.
From Tapestry of Faith Curricula
Skinner House Publications
- Child's Book of Animal Blessings and Poems, edited by Eliza Blanchard
- In Praise of Animals: A Treasury of Poems, Quotations and Readings, edited by Edward Searl
Unitarian Universalist Perspectives
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You Birds of the Air, Hawk, Sparrow, and laughing Jay You embody freedom itself, delight us with your song, astound us with feats of migration Grant us your perspective, for too often our horizon is limited and we are blind to the full results of our actions....Meditation | By Thomas Rhodes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, Animal Blessing, Animals, Connections, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Humility, Love, Nature, Relationships -
We give thanks for the earth and its creatures and are grateful from A to Z: For alligators, apricots, acorns and apple trees; For bumblebees, bananas, blueberries and beagles; Coconuts, crawdads, cornfields and coffee; Daisies, elephants, and flying fish; For groundhog, glaciers and grasslands;...Meditation | By Gary Kowalski | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Children, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Environment, Nature, Secular