Hanford church welcomes parishioners' pets

Published online on Friday, Sep. 25, 2009

HANFORD -- Some parishioners' requests for special blessings aren't always for themselves or even for people they know. They're for pets -- cats, turtles, hamsters, lizards, horses, you name it.

Therese Quinn, 14, of Hanford, for example, has asked for blessings for her parakeet Early Bird, her dog Molly and her rabbit Mr. Shnookems for a long time.

And, she'll do it again next weekend when she brings her caged and leashed pets to St. Brigid's Catholic Church's annual Blessing of the Pets and Animals. The event, at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 in Hanford, is held in the church's parking lot at St. Rose-Thomas McCarthy Catholic School.

"It's really kind of exciting for me to know we're getting our animals blessed," Therese says. "It's kind of a reminder that God has given animals as special gifts to us."

The special service is held in early October to coincide with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Roman Catholicism teaches St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy. In the 1200s he led a movement back to poverty, venturing into the forest -- where he befriended animals -- to live a simple life.

At St. Brigid's, a stained-glass window shows an image of St. Francis of Assisi wearing a burgundy robe and carrying a gold cross.

"We, as Catholics, like to bless things -- cars, houses, whatever we use," says the pastor of St. Brigid's, the Rev. Michael Moore. "We enjoy the things in this life, but we always remember that God is the one who provides them. So having things blessed, we're reminded of our dependence on God. We ask his blessing on all the activities and things in our lives -- that they might go well."

That includes the lives of animals, he says.

Although a long tradition in Roman Catholic churches, the service to bless animals also has been adopted by other denominations. For example, Holy Family Episcopal Church in northeast Fresno will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals at 11 a.m. Oct. 3.

Depending on the church's beliefs, the services can vary. Generally, a priest reads the biblical account in Genesis 1 on how God created the animals on land, the birds in the air, the fish in the sea -- and blessed them.

The priest also reads a psalm, usually Psalm 8, which praises God for his creations. Then the priest walks by the animals, saying a prayer of blessing and sprinkling them with holy water.

"We kind of walk close by them all, so the kids don't feel anyone's left out," Moore says.

St. Brigid's is faithful in its service to bless animals. In addition to St. Francis of Assisi, St. Brigid is considered the patron saint of milk maids, dairy workers and cattle. Images of St. Brigid with farm animals are everywhere in the church.

Inside, St. Brigid is depicted in a statue near the altar and in a stained-glass window, each with a resting bull at her feet. Outside, she appears on the facade above the main doorway, with a lamb and a resting bull.

Moore says the Hanford area, with all its farms and dairies, is rich with opportunities to bless animals. And if some are too large or too difficult to manage bringing to St. Brigid, he makes house calls.

Moore has visited parishioners' dairies -- blessing the cows that "they might be productive" -- and stables of horses.

At St. Brigid's, not all the animals are recognizable to Moore.

"There was something in a cage -- and I don't know if it was a ferret, hamster, whatever," he remembers. "Sometimes, you see things like that."

Moore also prepares himself with a box of tissues close by -- in case he sneezes.

He's allergic to cat and dog hair.

"It's OK, but I don't own any pets," he says. "The joy is the excitement I see, especially in the children with their parents."

Therese's mother, Colette, says she is grateful that St. Brigid's provides an opportunity for parishioners to understand that God's protection extends also to animals.

She bought a St. Francis medal for Molly to wear around her dog collar. One side reads: "St. Francis of Assisi, protect my dog." The other reads: "All praise be yours, my Lord, for all creatures large and small."