K3 Grade 2, Chapter 3

St. Francis: Blessing of the Animals

Saint Francis of Assisi called every one and every thing in nature his brother or sister. He saw God our Creator in every living thing. We celebrate the life of Saint Francis on October 4.

On that day, or on a day near October 4, many parishes honor Saint Francis with a special prayer service. The service is called the Blessing of the Animals. Members of the parish bring their pets to church. Each pet is sprinkled with holy water. Everyone prays that God will watch over and protect all animals, especially our pets.

The most well-known Blessing of the Animals takes place each year at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, New York. All kinds of animals are brought into the cathedral—elephants, sheep, parrots, llamas, and snakes. These animals, and many more, join a church filled with people and their pets. All the animals are there for their yearly blessing.

Click on the link below to download and print out the activity. Help the animals find their way to the Blessing of the Animals service. Draw a line along the path the animals must take to get to the church.

Click here to download the PDF.