Matthew Monday: The Blessing of the Animals

October 4^th is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, and because St. Francis had a particularly strong love for God’s creatures –he referred to them as brothers and sisters – the Catholic Church across the world has an annual blessing.  You can read about it and see some adorable pictures of animals being blessed from around the world, here.  

Our church had the blessing on the Saturday after the 4^th rather than on the feast day proper.  This makes sense when you consider during the week most work during the day and children are in school.  I wonder if other churches did as well.

This is our second year we did this.  We took Rosie down to the church, and unlike some of the pictures in that link I provided the blessing at our church was performed outside.  It was amazing how many people brought their pets.  Over forty and one person literally brought Noah’s ark with him: two cats, several Guinee pigs, parakeets and cockatiels, and I don’t what else.

Rosie was excited as you can imagine.  She wants to sniff and greet and play with all other animals, friendly or not.  And at eighty pounds she’s hard to handle when she wants to rush over to someone or something.  I got a couple of pictures. 

I was able to click Matthew calming Rosie down.

And I couldn’t snap one while Rosie was actually getting blessed, I did have someone take a picture of us with Fr. Eugene, our pastor.

The reason I couldn’t snap a picture was because I had Tiger’s photo on the screen while we were up there so Fr. Eugene could bless Tiger too.  There was no way I could take Tiger over.  Some had their cats in the traveling bags, but it’s impossible for us to get Tiger in his.  He fights tooth and nail to prevent us from getting him in.

On a separate but related matter I do want to tell about my October 4^th.  As you may know I live on Staten Island, which is part of New York City but unlike the rest of New York City we still have woods and some wild animals.  On the morning of the fourth, on my way to work as I was driving I saw a creature rush across the street and scurry behind some garbage pails.  When I got a better look I saw it was a possum.  Half a mile later I had to stop because a raccoon decided to cross the street.  He took his sweet time, but I was just glad to watch him.  Later that night, while coming back from the gym, on the corner near a wooded stood a deer nibbling on the grass.  Now I could go a whole year and not see a possum or a raccoon, and while deer are now more out in the open it’s not exactly an everyday event to see one.  To see all three of these creatures in one day—the day of St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day—is certainly a grace from above.  Thank you Lord.

Chanuka, Oh Chanukah

Today is the first night of Chanukah.  What a blessing to have a Jewish side of the family.  Here is the blessing over the candles in English.  You can read it in Hebrew.

Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us
to light the lights of Chanukkah. (Amen)


There are so many ways to spell Hanukkah in English that I just don't which to pick.  And now for your listening pleasure, here is a Hanukkah song, "Chanuka, Oh Chanukah, sung by a Theodore Bikel.  I've never heard of him, but he sings this wonderfully.  I've been to synagogue for some family affair, and I have to say the Jewish Cantors out do our Catholic choruses.

May God bless you all.