The Blessing of the Animals Service (October 2022)
For those who wish to follow along
Song: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All : And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray.
Leader:
Most high, omnipotent good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy. O God, you have made us and all living things. You are even more wonderful than what you have made. We thank you for giving us these pets who bring us joy. As you take care of us, so also we ask your help that we might take care of those who trust us to look after them. By doing this, we share in your own love for all creation. We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen
Prayer of St. Francis
(All)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; and
where there is sadness, joy.
O, God, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
The Blessing:
The blessing is usually done with the sprinkling of water over the animal and the owner.
Leader:
"N., (name of animal, i.e. "Smokey", not cat/dog) may you be blessed in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May you and (the name of the "owner") enjoy life together and find joy with the God who created you."
Leader: Let us give thanks to God our Creator for all the gifts so freely bestowed upon us and for the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: For the richness of the mountains, plains and rivers;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: For all that is gracious in the lives of every person;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: For all creatures that breathe, and move, and have life;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: For the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers and trees;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: For the trust you have shown in giving into our care these, our pets;
All: We thank you, Lord.
Leader: That each pet here may be treasured with care;
All: We pray to you, Lord.
Leader: That we may love and honor all your works, O God;
All: We pray to you, Lord.
Leader: That we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation;
All: To the honor and glory of your name, now and forever, we pray to you, Lord.
Amen
All:
Lord God, you have made all living things, and you are even more wonderful than the things you have made. We thank you for giving us our pets who are our friends and who give us so much joy in life. We cherish the pets we have now, and we remember the pets we have loved and lost. May we always be reminded of the joy they have given to us. May we likewise, realize that as our pets trust us to take care of them, so we should trust you to take care of us, and in our taking care of them we share in your love for all your creatures. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Song: All Creatures of our God and King
Now hug your pet(s) and/or Service Dog and know you are all loved and blessed!
About The Blessing of the Animals
Additional Information
St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Rancho Cordova, California is offering a virtual Blessing of the Animals in Honor of St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Animals on October 3rd, 2021.
Using the Zoom platform will make it much simpler to receive a blessing for both you and your pet from the comfort of your own home.
Thanks to the wonders of Zoom, You and your goldfish (or any other pet) can both receive a blessing!
Historically, the Blessing of the Animals (in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals) has been an in-person gathering where people bring their pets to be blessed through prayers and a sprinkling of Holy water.
This worked very well for dogs and some other sociable animals, but it caused some problems for birds, fish and horses to participate.
Now, you can take your phone, tablet or even laptop to your animals for the blessing. Or gather together around your computer to share the experience in the comfort of your own home. No stress for you to take your shy kitty for a ride in the car to be followed by crowds of people in an unfamiliar setting.
Another benefit…you don’t need to live anywhere near Rancho Cordova, California to participate. All you need is access to the internet!
The service is short, about 10 minutes in length, and if you want to read along, the words are posted above.
St. Clement’s is a small church located at the corner of Zinfandel Drive and Cordova Lane in Rancho Cordova. The 4 Paws 2 Freedom office and training facility is located in a portable building at St. Clement's Church.
For more information and links to the various services go to their website at www.saint-clements.com
916-635-5282
