Got animals on the homestead? The feast days of St. Anthony the Abbot, along with St. Francis of Assisi, are days traditionally set aside for the blessing of animals. Both of these saintly men had special connections with animals, and so it is fitting that within the Church, we bless the animals and call on the intercession of these two great saints. The blessing of animals is something fitting for us to do throughout the year, particularly if our animals help to nourish our families in any way. God has given us the job of caring for His creation, and stewarding the animals is a part of that work, whether they be pets, provide us with eggs or milk or honey, or if they are meant to produce meat for the table. All of God’s creatures deserve to be treated with love and respect. Imparting blessings on them reminds us of their important role in Creation and of our need to steward to them well.

St. Anthony the Abbot lived from 251-356, one of the longer-lived saints. He is considered the “Father of all Monks.” Though Anthony was not the first monk, he was one of the first to go live in the wilderness to dedicate his life to prayer, removing himself to the Eastern Dessert of Egypt. In some of the artwork that depicts him, you will find a pig near to him or in the background. There are numerous explanations of why this may be, but one of the stories that explains this connection claims that there was a pig that helped him to keep the Hours for prayer. St. Anthony’s feast day is January 17th and is one of the traditional days for the blessing of animals.

St. Francis of Assisi, Italy (1181-1226), founder of the Franciscans, and the first well-documented case of the Stigmata, is also deeply connected to animals. One of the stories from his life tells of a time he preached to the birds and they flocked to listen. Another tells of him taming a wolf that had been attacking people and animals. St. Francis had a deep love for all of God’s creation, from “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon” to the wind and fire and the plants and animals. His deep love for God’s creatures is why his feast day, October 4th, is another traditional day for the blessing of animals.

If this is a tradition you’d like to bring to your homestead, there are multiple ways to go about this. Some parishes offer the blessing of animals at their church. At others, a priest offers to go from home to home to offer the blessing. You could also invite a priest to come and bless the animals if no existing tradition exists. And finally, this is a blessing that you can offer at home, yourself. (Though, as always, the blessing of a priest carries with it a different weight, and if you are to do this yourself, the imparting of the sign of the cross over the animals would be omitted.) Below, I’ve collected a variety of blessings and prayers that can be used.

Blessing of Animals

From Catholic Answers

O God,
the author and giver of every gift,
animals also are part of the way you provide help
for our needs and labors.
We pray (through the intercession of Saint Anthony, or Francis, et al.)
that you will make available for our use
the things we need to maintain a decent human life.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

From the Catholic Handbook

Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures.
You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air, and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal.
By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures!
Amen.

From Liturgy.life

God of all creation,
at the beginning of time
you gave us all the creatures of the earth to be our helpers.
And in your wisdom, these animals,
like all good things from you,
became more than that. They became our friends.

After our long hours away from home,
in their barks and wagging tails,
we see the joy that you, our Creator, must have
when one of your own returns to you.

In our times of sadness and loneliness,
when human relationships become strained and broken,
in their gentle caress and quiet purring,
we see the faithfulness that you, our Companion,
offer to all your people.

And when we have become numbed by stress, worry, or boredom,
in their natural wonder and untamed majesty,
we see the awesome creativity that you, our Maker,
inspire in us that we may revel in the mystery of life.

We ask you then to bless these, our animal friends,
that they may have a long and joyful life.
Keep them safe when we cannot be with them,
protect them from sickness and harm,
and heal their wounds.
When the end of their life comes,
grant them a peaceful death free of pain and suffering.
And bless us too, their human-companions, with your Holy Spirit
that we may care for them well
and be wise and gentle stewards of all your creatures.

We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus,
who is Lord of all, for ever and ever.
Amen.

From Catholic Culture

Prayer:
All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins: 
Wonderful are all God’s works. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
All respond: 
Now and for ever.

The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing: 
The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea. They share in the ways of human beings. They have a part in our lives. Francis of Assisi recognized this when he called the animals, wild and tame, his brothers and sisters. Remembering Francis’ love for these brothers and sisters of ours, we invoke God’s blessing on these animals, and we thank God for letting us share the earth with all the creatures.

Then the Scripture is read:
Listen to the words of the book of Genesis:
[In the beginning,] God said, “Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.” And so it happened: God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.” Evening came and morning followed-the fifth day.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.” And so it happened: God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. God saw how good it was. (Genesis 1:20-25)

(Alternate reading such as Isaiah 11:6-10.)

The reader concludes: This is the Word of the Lord.
All respond: Thanks be to God.

After a time of silence, those present offer prayer of intercession for their animals and for all creatures. After the Lord’s Prayer, the leader invites all to hold or place their hands on their animals in blessing:
O God, you have done all things wisely; in your goodness you have made us in your image and given us care over other living things.
Reach out with your right hand and grant that these animals may serve our needs and that your bounty in the resources of this life may move us to seek more confidently the goal of eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

All make the sign of the cross as the leader concludes:

May God, who created the animals of this earth as a help to us, continue to protect and sustain us with the grace his blessing brings, now and for ever. R. Amen.

The blessing may conclude with a song such as “The Old Hundreth” (Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow), “All Creatures of Our God and King.”Prayer Source: Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers by Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, NCCB/USCC, 1989

While blessing animals may be traditional on January 17th and October 4th, it is something we can do any day as we care for these creatures. Imparting a special blessing might be called for when bringing new animals onto the homestead or when moving animals to new pasture. On our homestead, I’ve taken to assigning a saint whom I call on to intercede on behalf of different animals throughout the homestead. It’s a daily reminder to pray for God’s blessing these creatures.

Do you have a favorite prayer for the animals on your homestead?

In Christ,
Danielle