A tribute to St. Francis and our beloved animals

Cleo, a 10-year-old long-haired chihuahua owned by Judy Dunlap is sprinkled with Holy Water during the Blessing of the Animals at St. George Anglican Cathedral on Southeast 28th Street in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. About 50 animals were blessed including a number of dogs, a few cats and two guinea pigs. St. Francis of Assisi, a patron saint of animals and the environment, cared for the poor and sick. He preached sermons to animals and praised all creatures as brothers and sisters under God. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 8, 2021 | By Julie Garisto

“Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures,” recited priests and preachers around the world last weekend in commemoration of Blessing of the Animals Day, Oct. 4.

At St. George Anglican Church, the tradition held in honor of St. Francis of Assisi has endured for three decades with parishioners escorting dogs and cats as well as rodents, birds and even a fishbowl.

On Oct. 2, Bishop Arthur Rushlow of St. George Anglican Church continued the beloved ritual, gently splashing holy water and laying hands in prayer while administering the annual blessing to some 50 pets, including dogs, cats and two guinea pigs during the mild and breezy early fall morning.

Coos from woodpeckers and owls could be heard as if in an outdoor choir. The English Countryside-like setting provided the perfect backdrop for the event held in honor of St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day.

Among the furbaby parents, Michelle Wood has brought her labradoodle, Willa, each year since she adopted her 11 years ago. According to church staffer Kathie Rushlow, Willa had a serious condition that led to the loss of fur all over her body. Wood brought Willa to a University of Florida veterinarian and to the St. George animal blessing, and Willa recovered.

“I’d like to think that the blessing had something to do with her recovery,” Mrs. Rushlow said with a smile.

This year, Willa received special treatment — she had just recovered from ACL surgery and received her blessing from the Wood family car.

The exact year of the first blessing event is unknown. Father Bill Bates attributed it to the old hunting parties of England when owners had dogs blessed before going out into the woods.The popular origin story traces back to St. Francis of Assisi, around eight centuries ago (circa 1181). According to lore, it was Francis who first introduced the idea that human beings are only one of the myriad creations of God and “all are blessed in God’s eyes.”

Widely considered the most popular Catholic saint in the world, St. Francis preached to the birds; blessed fish that had been caught and released them back into the water.

Other accounts say that he communicated with wolves and that he once arbitrated an agreement between a wolf and a village’s terrified citizens. He also used real animals when he created the first live nativity scene.

Because of these stories passed on through the centuries, St Francis has come to be known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

“May St. Francis remind us of our serious obligation to respect and watch over animals with care, in light of that greater and higher fraternity that exists within the human family,” wrote Pope John Paul II in 1990.