All Creatures of Our God and King

On Sunday, September 30, 2012, the annual Blessing of the Animals and Saint Francis Festival will be held at The Basilica of Saint Mary. We invite parishioners, family and friends to come to this free event with or without an animal to celebrate the holiness of all creation and to ask God's blessing on our animals. All visitors are welcome.

• 1:00 pm – Pets and their owners begin to gather on the lawn.
• 1:30 pm – God’s creatures, great and small, process into the church for a service celebrating the Blessing of the Animals. The service includes prayer, music, readings and blessings that celebrate the sacredness of all creation.
• 2:30 pm – Procession of pets and owners, clergy, choirs, banners, and congregation to The Basilica’s lawn for individual blessings of animals and a celebration that includes food and fun.
• T-shirts featuring the 2012 design will be sold.  Can Do Canines will share information about their organization.

The Blessing of the Animals is an annual festival celebrating the sacredness of all creation. It is generally held on the October Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi and recognizes him as patron of animals, nature, and peace. In the spirit of Saint Francis, the celebration honors animals that share our lives and touch our hearts, as well as acknowledges and encourages respect for all that is wild around us. In earlier times, people took their fruits and animals to monasteries for a special blessing around harvest time. They depended upon these gifts for survival. Now the blessing is intended to affirm that all creatures are part of God’s plan for creation.