St George’s Church will be holding its first Pet Blessing Service for many years, to celebrate the feast of St Francis of Assisi on 4th October.

This service will form part of our celebration of the Season of Creation, and will include a personal blessing for each pet, as well as their owners, plus prayers and hymns that are appropriate for the season.

Any pet is welcome - including cats - as long as they are under control. And if your pet is unable to come, or deceased, do please come anyway and bring a photo, which we will aim to display on a screen. For more details about the Season of Creation, click here.

Pet Blessing services help us to remember the emotional and spiritual bond between humans and their animal companions, and sanctify that relationship by invoking God-s blessing. They also serve as a reminder of the responsibility we humans have as stewards of God's creation, fostering kindness and care for all creatures.

St Francis was born in 1181, and is famous as an Italian mystic and poet, as well as the founder of the Franciscan order. He has often been portrayed in religious art surrounded by animals, and as a result became the patron saint of animals and ecology. In more recent years it became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day, today, which is also World Animal Day.

The photo above was taken in 2018 at St Georges’ previous Pet Blessing Service. Mother Doreen (front row second from the left) will be taking this service.