Dear Friends in Christ,

On Sunday at 4:00, we will hold our annual Blessing of the Animals. (If the weather is good, we’ll be in the Saint Francis garden by the parking lot; if the weather is bad, we’ll gather in the Malm Narthex.)

Many of us—including me—love this tradition. In honor of St. Francis (whose feast day is October 4), we offer prayers for the animals who are our beloved companions. Just as we do our best to provide for their food and exercise, we provide for them with our spiritual resources.

But this year I invite you to consider this question: on the Feast of Saint Francis, is thinking of your pets enough?

Saint Francis modeled for us joy in God’s creation and intimacy with all its creatures. Stories tell of him preaching to the birds and taming a wild wolf with his prayers. There was no being on this planet not worthy of his love.

When we bless the animals, do we only pray for dogs and cats? What would it mean to offer our blessing to endangered Red Wolves and North Atlantic Right Whales, dying off because of human activity in their habitats? What would it mean to bless the osprey that are declining in number because their diet of fish is declining in number, too? How might we bless the salamanders and toads whose suffering is the first signs of a poisoned environment?

The reality of climate change means that such blessings are not just fanciful. They are an urgent ethical obligation. If we are to be good stewards of the world God has made for us, we have to consider how our fellow creatures are suffering. Our well-being is interlinked.

I hope that you will bring your pets on Sunday. I can’t wait to see them. And I hope you will offer your blessing more widely to this creation. Think about what you might do—from planting natives to composting to reducing your carbon footprint—to honor the world that God has made holy.

Yours in Christ,
Anne+