Last Friday marked the 2024 Feast Day of St. Francis, a celebration where Catholics worldwide honor St. Francis with prayer and blessings. On Sunday, members of the Church of the Advent, an Anglo-Catholic church in Beacon Hill, gathered for a “Blessing of the Animals.” Parishioners’ pets received a blessing from Father David Thompson, one of the Advent’s parochial vicars, complete with a sprinkling of holy water. 

The “Blessing of the Animals” is a religious ceremony that signifies a recognition of the importance of all living creatures, often associated with St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Pet owners around Boston brought their pets to church to be blessed, signifying a spiritual connection between humans and animals. 

As two and four–legged congregants took their seats in the chancel of the Advent Sunday afternoon, the scent of frankincense from the morning’s Mass still lingered in the air. 

Thompson welcomed those gathered for the blessing. 

“Today we will give thanks to God for all the ‘furry, creeping things,’ as the Bible puts it,” Thompson said. 

Though the animal congregation was made up mostly of dogs, there was also a 3-foot-tall plush giraffe, one black cat, and a small stuffed squirrel in attendance. 

After two opening prayers, Thompson read from the first chapter of Genesis, a portion of scripture that describes God and his creative work in designing and making creatures of the world. 

“Often when we think about creatures in the church, we put the focus on fellow human beings and we talk about how we see God in a fellow person,” Thompson said. “But we also need to think about how God presents himself in all hosts of creatures.” 

Thompson then sprinkled all of the furry friends with holy water. Their owners watched fondly as their pets were given blessings for another year. 

“I brought my little girl here for the blessing because I want her to be protected and healthy,” Barbara Dunay, the owner of a shih tzu named Sophie, said. “I believe in the power of prayer, and this is a way for us to ask for guidance over [our pets’] lives.” 

Parishioners agreed that attendance numbers for these events still haven’t fully recovered since the pandemic when they used to attract crowds closer to 25 or 30 people. This year’s crowd was around 15 people, pets not included. The Church of the Advent hosts a “Blessing of the Animals” every year during the first week of October.

“These events are a great way to connect with the community,” said Moses Buyondo, the Advent’s sexton. “It’s nice to be with people who also love animals.”