Blessing of the Animals: Should Your Church Try It? (Free Prayers Included)

Each fall, you may catch sight of a pastor standing surrounded by a crowd of animals: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, snakes, and even an iguana or tarantula or two (and their owners). Have they gone "full Saint Francis"? Do you need to put together an ecumenical intervention?

Thankfully not! It's time for the "Blessing of the Animals," a service usually conducted around the St. Francis of Assisi feast day (Oct. 4)—a service that has increased in popularity over the last few years. While pet blessing services are traditionally celebrated in October, there is no reason why one could not be conducted at other times of the year.

Maybe you should be that pastor! Let's talk about the Blessing of the Animals—what it is, why you might want to do it, and offer some resources to pull it off.

History of Animal Blessings: A Modern Practice with Ancient Roots

The idea of blessing pets in autumn is a pretty recent phenomenon, gaining popularity in the United States since the beginning of this century around the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. According to legend, Francis was caught preaching to a flock of birds which, it is said, would not fly away until he blessed them.

While special services for blessing animals originate in Catholic and Anglican/Episcopalian traditions, it has gained popularity among other Protestant denominations in recent years as a way to incorporate our life with pets into a Biblical framework.

Interestingly, Francis was not alone in having legendary connections with animals. Stories of animals respecting the sanctity of saints are abundant, perhaps drawing on Biblical themes like Daniel's preservation in the lion's den or the portrait of the kingdom of God in Isaiah 11, where the animals live with each other and humanity in harmony, with children playing safely among dangerous animals, adding,

They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9).

Where the great saints are, it might have been reasoned, the kingdom is manifest, even in the presence of the animals.

Thankfully, it's unlikely that your local congregations will bring wolves, oxen, or adders to any blessings in your neighborhood!

The Spiritual Role of Pets in Our Lives

Interestingly, Christianity has not always been 100% on board with keeping pets. Francis himself seems to have recommended that his friars not do so—in his rule discouraging riding horses or keeping pets. Mary Dzon, a scholar of medieval devotional practices adds,

Keeping animals was seen as distracting, even frivolous, and risked drawing affections away from God.

Dzon notes that this seems to have been the mainstream view at that time—after all, keeping an animal that did not work or provide food was a luxury that those outside the upper classes could not afford.

And there is something to that perspective. Those of us with pets know the never-ending list of expenses: from vet bills to toys and bespoke sweaters. Discipleship requires considering stewardship. Like anything good, pets could come between us and following Jesus.

On the other hand, the care we give to animals can be helpful for discipleship. It connects us to creation in a different way than our human relationships, allowing us to see up close the value of non-human beings. Anyone who has raised a puppy knows that it requires a lot of patience, consistency, and self-control—and there is nothing to teach you about the differences in perspective between God and us like having to hold back a frustrated puppy dead-set on eating goose poop—God must feel that way when we keep returning to sin.

Why Have a Blessing of the Animals Service?

The Blessing of the Animals is a fantastic way to engage with culture where it is. People in your community love the animals in their lives—so why not sanctify that relationship—drawing it, like all other parts of our lives, into the life of discipleship? We want them to see their work, their families, and their stewardship all as part of a life of discipleship. Why leave out the animals they care so deeply for?

Furthermore, it's a great opportunity to highlight creation care by talking about how our relationship of stewardship to animals is a feature of God's creation design, not an afterthought.

The Blessing of the Animals can be a great church outreach event. There may be many people in your community who aren't likely to show up for a Sunday service, an ice cream social, or a Christian rock concert who might show up to have their corgi or tuxedo cat prayed over.

Practical Considerations

There are a few practical details to think through.

Safety First

We don't yet live in that kingdom where the lion lies down with the lamb... and not all animals will get along. And it's not just safety—let's not terrify the animals we want to bless!

Consider offering an individual blessing for animals that can't attend. Owners of reactive dogs often can feel isolated by the fact that their dogs are too afraid to be with people or other animals. A blessing of an animal in a car may mean more to the owner than you expect.

During the event, remind people (especially children) to ask permission before touching or interacting with other animals. Also, it's a good idea to request that people not allow animals to play together... that can get disruptive and can escalate beyond play.

What if people want to bring less conventional animals like chickens or livestock? Again, safety is the main concern—but if they can be included, that will make the event even more fun and meaningful. You may need to work out barriers or ways to keep distance. Work with the owners to determine the best options.

Consider also consulting with local animal trainers or behavioral professionals ahead of time. They may have great feedback (and might even promote the event)!

Communicating with Pet Owners

A lot of issues can be prevented by setting expectations in advance. Consider a note like the following:

We want our animal friends to be safe! For this event, judge whether they can be happy in a crowd of people with other animals. Dogs should be on leashes no more than 6' long, cats should be on leash if not in a carrier, and other animals should be safely contained. If your dog is reactive, we're happy to offer an individual blessing, but let's not subject them to a gathering they will find difficult. If your animal starts to have a hard time, plan to make distance by backing away from the group, and respect requests from others for distance.

If your animal is too disruptive (don't worry, we expect some joyful noise), please be understanding if we request you move back from the group until the disruption is under control—if you can't be part of the full group, don't worry, we'll offer an individual blessing.

Please also plan to clean up after your pet if they have an accident.

Repeating some instructions for dealing with disruptions on the day of will help people not feel singled out if they have to move back from the group.

Choosing the Right Location

If animals are going to be present, the outdoors are your friend. If you have a large space before the front doors of your church, it's a great location to do this (less so if the space is cramped or there's a busy street). A green space on your grounds or a park are great alternatives. The goal is to get enough space for people to space out their animals comfortably.

Don't fear going a little unconventional. Even a drive-by blessing may still mean a lot to your congregation and visitors—perhaps a good option if space is an issue.

Timing Your Pet Blessing Event

Most Blessing of the Animals services will take place on the Sunday after October 4 (St. Francis' feast day), but they can also be held at other times. Unless you're willing to make the whole Sunday service an outdoor event, you're probably going to want to do the service some time after your main services, giving people enough time to go home and get their animals and come back. You definitely don't want animals hanging out in hot (or cold) cars during the service!

Sunday isn't the only option, though! Especially if you're thinking of this as an outreach event an after-work time on a weeknight or a Saturday may be a great choice.

Two Prayers for Blessing Animals

Holding a Blessing of the Animals can be done as creatively as you like. You can come up with a whole liturgy with a sermon or you could just make it a simple prayer as part of a larger event. You could even bless the animals in your congregation without having them present—a special mention during your prayers of intercession on the Sunday after October 4.

If you choose to make an event out of it, they usually have at least two components: an individualized blessing said over each animal, blessing them and the owners by name, and a general prayer for the animals, setting the theological tone of the event.

Individualized blessings can be very simple, for example:

[Animal's name] may God bless you and [owner's name] with health, life, and joy. May your love draw him/her closer to God.

We've created two prayers for blessing animals that you can use or adapt for your context. For those wanting a complete liturgical framework, we've also developed a full service available to subscribers.

A Simple Blessing of Animals

It's about the length of a collect and could even be inserted into the Prayers of the People in your services.

A Blessing of the Animals in Light of God's Creation

This is a little longer, but it starts by putting our care for animals in the light of God's creation plan, highlighting our stewardship.

A Service for the Blessing of the Animals

This is a full service for the blessing of the animals with responsive readings. After a call to worship based on Psalm 148 and a reading from Genesis 1, it has three main "movements":

• prayers of thanksgiving and confession,

• the blessing itself, and

• prayers of rejoicing.

This service includes prayers which rehearse creation and fall, and which reflect on the many ways in which animals enrich our lives (beyond companion animals). It also has optional space for intercessory prayers.

Whether you're planning your first Blessing of the Animals or are just looking for some ideas to refresh your annual tradition, this service offers a way to remind your community that God cares about you and all of creation—including the animals in our lives.

This service is for Complete Package subscribers. (Try a 14-day Free Trial)

Wrapping Up

The Blessing of the Animals is more than just a cute photo opportunity—it's a chance to connect with your community, honor God's creation, and remind people that their whole lives, including their relationships with their pets, can be part of their walk with Christ. What might this look like in your congregation?

The Prayers