Animals receive blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi

Intermountain Catholic

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Elsa and Armando Venegas, along with their children Lorenzo (left), Isabella, Paolo, and Angelo, have their first new puppy, Daisy, blessed. Daisy is a 2-month old black and white cocker spaniel mix who seemed a little frightened by all the barking dogs and people, not to mention the cold, wet weather.IC photos by Christine Young

OGDEN — Despite a constant downpour of rain and cold weather, people felt strongly about having their animals blessed at St. Mary Parish in Ogden Oct. 6.

In honor of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is Oct. 4, Jesuit Father Leo Pregaman, associate pastor of St. Mary Parish, blessed cats and dogs and told them to go home and be good girls and boys. Pets become members of the family and their safety and well-being is important.

St. Francis was born Sept. 26, 1181 or 1182, the exact year is uncertain, in Umbria, Italy. He died there Oct. 3, 1226. He was a Roman Catholic friar and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans.

He is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment, and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day.

Animals found in Francis a tender friend and protector. It is said he pleaded with the people of Gubbio to feed the fierce wolf that had ravished their flocks, because through hunger "Brother Wolf" had done this wrong.

The early legends have left us many an idyllic picture of how beasts and birds alike susceptible to the charm of Francis’s gentle ways, entered into loving companionship with him. Legend says the hunted leveret sought to attract him; the half-frozen bees crawled towards him in the winter to be fed; the wild falcon fluttered around him; and the nightingale sang with him in sweetest content in the grove at the Carceri. The birds listened so devoutly to his sermon by the roadside near Bevagna that Francis chided himself for not having thought of preaching to them before.

Francis’s love of nature also stands out. He delighted to commune with the wild flowers, the crystal spring, and the friendly fire, and to greet the sun as it rose upon the fair Umbrian vale.

Francis was born to Pietro di Bernardone, a prominent businessman, and his wife Pica Bourlemont, about whom little is known except that she was originally from France. He was one of seven children. When Francis was born, Pica had him baptized as Giovanni di Bernardone in honor of Saint John the Baptist, in the hope he would grow to be a great religious leader. Pietro decided to call him Francesco (Francis) in honor of the child’s maternal heritage.