Blessing of the Animals 2011

October 4, 2011 | Filed Under Blessing of the Animals, Harlem/Morningside Heights, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | 12 Comments 

In addition to LiveSTRONG day 2011, St. Francis Day (also known as Blessing of the Animals) fell on October 2.

Every year, in early autumn, there’s a special service in honor of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.  Dog, cats, and other animals go church.  Yes, they do.  They receive a special blessing in the church.  The service is a reminder to us about the responsibility of taking care of animals.

A few years ago, I took my dogs to the service (You can read about it HERE).  I’m happy to report that they were very well-behaved.  Actually, all the animals in attendance acted properly.  Dogs sat next to cats, who sat next to gold fish, who sat next to canaries, and parrots, who sat next to snakes…  Really! 

During the service, there’s a special procession of animals, both domestic and exotic, down the aisle of the cathedral.  It’s a sight to behold!  When I was there with my dogs, an elephant participated in a parade.  He (or she) was my favorite!   Unfortunately, this year, the elephant was missing (so were the camel and horse).   I was told that the elephant that normally came had died.

This year, large animals were not included in the special march.   Instead, there were smaller animals – a llama, turtle, tortoise, chicken, turkey, duck, sheep, snake, baby kangaroo, baby monkey, parrot, miniature horse, etc…   No matter the size it was still fun to watch the animals go down the aisle.

After the service, there was a St. Francis Day fair behind the cathedral with food, music, and activities.  It was a good day for everyone involved.

Paz 

Llama?

Baby cow?  Bull?  What is this?

What is this?

Ed. Note:  Thanks to Tanita and David, this animal has been identified as a South American Coati.

Umm… Is this a baby cow/bull?

Turkey looks like he wants to escape.

Can you see the turtle?

Can’t miss the tortoise.  

I don’t think he looks happy with his outfit.

Blessing the dog

 Blessing some birds.

Blessing another dog

This is my favorite photo. 

The little boy brought his fish (a Betta/Siamese Fighter Fish) to be blessed.

He seemed nervous, happy, excited, in awe of the experience.