On Sunday, October 2nd, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 1420 East Dewey Ave., in Sapulpa, will hold a “Pet Blessing” service in the parking lot at 3pm.
The Blessing of Animals is held on the Sunday closest to the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. He insisted that creation encompasses more than mankind. He referred to creatures as his brothers and sisters.
Although blessing animals has long been a tradition in the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, many Jewish synagogues now conduct services for the blessing of animals, citing references to ancient Judaism.
The Jewish Rite is usually performed on the seventh day of Passover as a celebration of the Hebrews’ (and their animals’) liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Father Keith Fallis, Pastor of Good Shepherd told the Sapulpa Times, “God created these creatures for Man, because in the Bible It talks how he brought these animals to Man to be named, so we being somewhat the caretakers of the animals, feel it is important to make sure they are blessed.
The Blessing reads as follows: “When God created the world, he made man. To give man a partner he brought animals into the kingdom and had man name them. So we celebrate this with the blessing of the animals for they are also a creation within God’s kingdom.”
So bring your pets, whatever they may be, to the parking lot of Good Shepherd, Sunday at 3:00 pm to have them blessed.
