On the first Saturday of October, coinciding with LDS General Conference, my in-laws’ Catholic parish has their annual “A blessing for the animals” in the courtyard of the church grounds.
This year, as in years past, my wife and I attended with our children. My in-laws brought their new King Charles spaniel dogs, Molly and Moo, to be blessed by their friend, Deacon Herve, O.F.M.
Animals, mostly dogs, filled the courtyard next to one of the parish halls and adjacent offices. One young girl brought her guinea pig, but she was the exception. Sherman, an imposing, yet seemingly gentle mastiff, stood guard near the rear of the courtyard, watching over the human and animal participants in the courtyard.
As with all Catholic services I have attended, music played an important part in the ensuing rite. Two men stood with their guitars, reverently playing and singing along with a woman who had a most pleasing singing voice. The cantors and members of the congregation offered up prayers of hymns to the Lord, with the dogs lending an occasional bark of agreement.
The deacon stood before the outdoor congregation, dressed in his traditional brown Franciscan robe, presiding over the blessing rite, speaking the following words:
The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea. They share in the fortunes of human existence and have part in human life. God, who confers his gifts on all living things, has often used the service of animals or made them symbolic reminders of the gifts of salvation.
He spoke of the paschal lamb, the Passover sacrifice, and the deliverance from bondage in Egypt. He spoke of the fish that swallowed Jonah and the ravens that brought bread to Elijah. He also spoke of the deliverance of the animals during the flood.
As part of the blessing rite, Deacon Herve sprinkled holy water over the congregants and animals. My wife turned to me, smiled and asked, “I wonder what will happen if holy water touches a Mormon?” I smiled at her and said, “Nothing bad, I’m sure.”
After the sprinkling of the holy water, the deacon pronounced the following blessing:
O God,
the author and giver of every gift,
animals also are part of the way you provide help
for our needs and labors.
We pray through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi,
that you will make available for our use
the things we need to maintain a decent human life.We ask this through Christ our Lord
Deacon Herve then went into the congregation, individually blessing each animal and offering a small medallion of St. Francis Assisi to each animal’s owner.
When the blessing of the animals finished, the cantors and congregation sang a hymn and the deacon pronounced a benediction, bringing to a close the services of the morning.
As my wife and I drove home, I could not help but think about the role that animals played in the restoration of the Gospel (the horse that pulled buggy that transported the Book of Mormon when Joseph Smith received the gold plates) and the oxen and other animals that assisted in the pioneer trek westward.
Consider the following story of Mary Fielding Smith and the anointing and blessing of one of her best oxen as it lay dying:
One day as they were moving along slowly through the hot sand and dust, the sun pouring down with excessive heat, toward noon one of Widow Smith’s best oxen laid down in the yoke, rolled over on his side, and stiffened out his legs spasmodically, evidently in the throes of death. The unanimous opinion was that he was poisoned. All the hindmost teams, of course, stopped, the people coming forward to know what was the matter. In a short time the captain, who was in advance of the company, perceiving that something was wrong, came to the spot.
Captain’s disgust
Perhaps no one supposed that the ox would ever recover. The captain’s first words upon seeing him, were:
“He is dead, there is no use working with him; we’ll have to fix up some way to take the Widow along. I told her she would be a burden upon the company.”
Blessing the ox
Meantime Widow Smith had been searching for a bottle of consecrated oil in one of the wagons, and now came forward with it, and asked her brother, Joseph Fielding, and the other brethren, to administer to the ox, thinking the Lord would raise him up. They did so, pouring a portion of the oil on the top of his head, between and back of the horns, they all laid hands upon him, and one prayed, administering the ordinance as they would have done to a human being that was sick. Can you guess the result? In a moment he gathered his legs under him, and at the first word arose to his feet, and traveled right off as well as ever. He was not even unyoked from his mate. The captain, it may well be supposed, heartily regretted his hasty conclusions and unhappy expressions.
(Gates, Susan Y. “Susan Y. Gates: Mary Fielding Smith.” Retrieved October 7, 2007, from http://jfs.saintswithouthalos.com/Reprints/sygmoths/03.htm)
I am curious to know if you or anyone you know has ever blessed an animal, or requested that an animal be blessed?
Thanks for that touching post.
A few months ago, my cat got into a fight with one of the other neighborhood cats. His eye was all scratched up, and I was sure he had lost the eye. It also looked like he might be getting an infection. I tried to give him first aid, but he wouldn’t let me. I prayed fervently for his recovery, and I felt prompted to pick him up, place my hand on the back of his neck, and think good thoughts toward him. This seemed strange to me, but I did so. I had no way to get him to the vet until morning, so I was at my wit’s end. After I held him for a few minutes, he got up and went to sleep. He slept the rest of the day and all night, and when he woke up in the morning, it was as if he had never been in the fight. It was truly a miracle.
Keri, my in-laws just spent a good sum of money taking one of their beloved cats to the vet (they have three). He was at death’s door and without a vet, he would have died. His feeding tube was removed two weeks ago and he is finally starting to look like a cat again.
I’m glad to hear your cat is doing better. There is power in prayer! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Brian, I am pretty sure that animals are “intelligences” just as we are. They are less developed but are part of Heavenly Father’s plan and have an important role to play. I think they are capable of happiness, especially if they are well-treated and loved. Part of our test, I believe, is to see how we treat these other intelligences during our lifetimes. I see nothing wrong with blessing them and acknowledging the role they play in helping us do our work here.
I am curious to know if you or anyone you know has ever blessed an animal, or requested that an animal be blessed?
My daughter blesses animals many times when she prays. She also blesses her dolls, the dinosaurs, the bed, and mommy to fold her arms.
Geoff, I agree. I once blessed an injured dog while I was in the MTC. I see no issue with blessing animals.
Matt W., There is nothing sweeter than the prayer of a child. Thanks for sharing that.
I once home taught a blind woman who had a guide dog. When I was in her home I would pray for her dog.
When I used to live half a block from the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, I would sometimes walk over for the blessing of the animals. There they had a parade of animals walk down the central aisle – in addition to all the dogs and cats there were snakes, flightless birds, a donkey, a baby elephant, a veritable Noah’s ark of creeping and flying things. A fun tradition.
Last year, in our F&T meeting, a woman told us that she asked the missionaries that happened to come by after she had taken her little dog to the vet, (that could do nothing to help her dog), if if they would give her dog a blessing. They did and the dog got better.
At the end of the meeting, our SP that just happened to be there, stood up and bore his testimony and then added how wrong it is to bless animals. He said it was an improper use of the Priesthood and should not be done. He said he was aware of past stories of blessing animals, but those were special occasions and not to be understood otherwise.
Needless to say, no one in our ward will be blessing animals anytime soon.
I have no idea where he got that, as that was the first time I have ever heard of such a thing.
CEF, I am the type of person that would ask a SP or BP for clarification and ask for official church position and source.
Brian – I am usually the same as you, but I have gotten in trouble with the SP over some things I see differently than he does, so I tend to avoid him all I can, and in no way did I want another confrontation with him. Out of sight is out of mind. 🙂