Blessing of animals slated for weekend

BY FRANK LOCKWOOD

Posted on Saturday, October 4, 2008

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Today is Take Your Pet to Church Day at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock. It’s also the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. To mark the occasion, the parish is giving away blessings and St. Francis of Assisi medals this morning. Holy Souls has been blessing pets for at least two decades, parish life coordinator Laura Humphries said, and the event usually goes off without a hitch.

“We might have had a dog or two snarl at each other, but we’ve never had anyone bitten,” she said.

Across Arkansas, congregations will be welcoming dogs, cats and other living creatures this weekend.

Most Protestant congregations who bless pets will do so Sunday.

At Trinity Episcopal Church in Van Buren, Vicar Kevin Robinson will bestow blessings on a variety of domesticated animals.

“We do it in honor of St. Francis, for whom nature, all of creation, was a vehicle through which God manifested his glory,” Robinson said.

Some animals seem to enjoy the experience more than others. “Animal personalities run the gamut. We’ve got some that are totally calm and serene. We’ve got the other extreme where they’re hyper and can’t contain themselves.”

To maintain order, “animals need to be caged or leashed as appropriate,” Robinson said.

On Sunday, four-legged creatures will also be flocking to St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock.

“This isn’t a holy high church traditional moment. It’s a fun type of expression of holiness, if you will,” said associate pastor Greg Schick. “When you’re praying for them, they’re bouncing around and wagging their tails.”

Sometimes, the animals can be a little intimidating.

A couple of years ago, someone brought a massive cockatoo. “The beak was quite large. We laughed about getting too close and losing a finger,” Schick said. “But it got blessed nonetheless.”

At another Little Rock church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal, people have brought snakes and hamsters, a horse and even a chicken, but “it’s mostly dogs.... Usually cats don’t like this very much,” said director of music and liturgy Judy Cumming.

“Each animal is blessed by name and is sprinkled with holy water,” she said. “It’s very short, very chaotic, but quite joyful — lots of sniffing of noses and barking.”

The animals don’t seem to mind the experience, even Cynthia the Chicken. “She didn’t object,” Cumming said. “She kept laying eggs.” ANIMAL BLESSINGS

St. Stephen Catholic Church, 1300 N. E. J St., Bentonville, will have a pet blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, at 6: 45 p. m. today outside the north entrance of the church. Pets should be on a leash or in a travel crate. All pets are welcome. (479 ) 273-1240.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 918 N. Ninth St., Van Buren, will have a blessing of the animals at 2 p. m. Sunday. Animals must be leashed, caged or secured. (479 ) 474-3144.

First United Methodist Church, 307 W. Elm St., Rogers, will have its annual pet blessing at 2 p. m. Sunday. Pets should be on a leash, in a carrier or cage or appropriately restrained. (479 ) 631-7997.

St. John’s Episcopal Church, 215 N. Sixth St., Fort Smith, will have a blessing of the animals at 4 p. m. Sunday in the columbarium garden. (479 ) 782-9912.

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