Blessing of the Animals this Saturday (Oct. 5) at 10:30 am @IB United Methodist Church

Hey!  I will be Blessing Animals this Saturday (October 5) at 10:30 AM at the Imperial Beach United Methodist Church at 455 Palm Avenue.

In selecting the date of our animal blessing, we pick the date closest to October 4th.  It is that October 4th is the day set aside to honor St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). St. Francis, as you may know had a great love for all of God's creatures, and for many years throughout the Christian Church a blessing of animals has been held on his feast day. The appreciation of animals is part of celebrating the creative love that God has bestowed on the world.  Blessing the animal companions honors how God touches humans through each creature.

St. Francis is not the only saint who loved animals. In drawings found in medieval manuscripts, there are images of early animal blessings performed by St. Anthony the Abbott (also known as St. Anthony of Egypt), who lived in the third century.

The first formal church-organized animal blessings were held in Rome in the early 20th century, while in the United States the Roman Catholic Church began blessing animals in honor of St. Anthony in the historic Olvera Street area of downtown Los Angeles in the 1930s. The Olvera Street ceremony, organized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, continues each spring.

Another well-established ceremony in honor of St. Francis is conducted at the (Episcopal) Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. This blessing has been held in the Cathedral since 1985, and sometimes includes camels, oxen, elephants, horses and many other animals.

The Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., also offers an impressive service of blessing the animals.

The United Methodist Church has for several decades included the Blessing of Animals in the Book of Worship and encourages congregations to celebrate and bless animals. 

The Blessing of the Animals at the IB United Methodist Church will be a simple and brief liturgy held in the church’s courtyard.  Everyone who attends is asked to have their animal companions on a leash or in an appropriate carrier.  It is our goal to keep peace in the kingdom.  And I will bless each animal individually.

I believe our pets are very special and important parts of our families.  This Blessing of the Animals is to underscore their value to us.  I hope you and your animal friends will attend.  We welcome dogs, cats, lizards, turtles, birds, snakes, fish, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, mice, and rabbits of all faith traditions or no faith tradition (and their owners too).  We are all indeed God’s family!

Look forward to seeing you this Saturday October 5th at 10:30 AM at 455 Palm Avenue (Imperial Beach United Methodist Church)

If you have questions about the Blessing of the Animals or anything else, please contact me at JonEdwin@aol.com.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Imperial Beach United Methodist Church

455 Palm Avenue

9:00am – a 30-minute Worship with Holy Communion celebrated weekly.

10:30am – worship with Holy Communion celebrated the first Sunday of the month.

9:30am – Sunday School for elementary age school children

www.IBMethodist.com

A Church Where Our Hearts, Our Minds and Our Doors are Always Open.