Paws and Parishioners: Annual Blessing of the Animals
By Ashley Watkins, Class of 2014 - Originally published by The PendulumA small crowd of about thirty humans and eight dogs gathered in front of Elon University's Whitley Auditorium to recieve blessings from Father Gerry Waterman at the annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony. The ceremony took place at 9:50 a.m. on Oct. 7.
In addition to this gathered group, dozens of other animals were represented for the blessing through physical photos or virtual photos on an iPod or a phone.
The Blessing of the Animals takes place around the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4, which has been celebrated since Medieval times. St. Francis is a Roman Catholic saint, but is regarded with reverence by other religions. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, the environment, Italy, and within the past 20 years, ecology. He was the founder of the Order of the Friars, which is more commonly known as the Franciscans.
The blessing is for all animals, wild or domesticated, but those who come to the ceremony bring domesticated animals. Most of the represented are dogs, cats, birds and hamsters, but since most students on campus do not have their animals living with them, they bring pictures. Some faculty and staff are able to bring their animals to the ceremony.
"I attended the ceremony because the Feast of St. Francis has always been something that I enjoy about the Catholic Church," senior Kricket Feeney said. "As a kid, it was my favorite mass to get to go to with my family. St. Francis is a relatable saint who cares for everyone. He is someone we all should aspire to be like."
Although she didn't bring any pictures, Feeney has four cats back home that will be receiving blessings.
The ceremony is traditionally practiced by Catholic churches, but Father Gerry Waterman stresses that this is a tradition that is practiced worldwide by Catholics, non-Catholics and even non-Christians.
"St. Francis always was and always will be an inspiration to me," Waterman said. "He was always grateful to God. Of all the saints the Catholic Church has, St. Francis is the most notable, well-known, and most remembered."
Feeney shares a similar view of St. Francis and the importance of the ceremony in general.
"The ceremony, to me, is all about paying homage and respect to the world around us," she said. "It's so vogue to be green and eco-conscious but St. Francis was doing this hundreds of years ago. It's about the fact we're all sharing the earth, and the animals in our lives deserve as much love and respect as the people."
The Blessing of the Animals ceremony has been a tradition on the Elon campus for about 20 years. Father Michael Chadwick started it during his years at Elon.
The ceremony was kept short so students could make their 10:30 a.m. classes. It began with an introduction, song and prayer. Then, people who brought pets introduced and told a few interesting facts about them. People who brought pictures were also invited to share stories about their pets. Waterman then blessed the pets and shared holy water with the crowd. The ceremony closed with a prayer and song, and was followed by refreshments.
"I think people want to have things that they value blessed," Waterman said. "They want to somehow know God sees them as holy. Through that blessing, they themselves feel holy. Blessings bring us closer to God."
The ceremony was a way for the Elon community to come together and celebrate the life of the patron saint of animals.
"St. Francis has a notable quote that helps to define the type of person he is and why we celebrate him," Waterman said. "(Francis) said: 'This is what I want, this is what I choose, this is what I long to do with all my heart.'"
Waterman said he strongly relates with this quote.
"This is kind of how I felt when deciding to be a Franciscan priest," he said.
The theme of the ceremony was to remember to treasure the little things in our lives.
"We should remember to bless our animals because even animals have times that they need God's grace, like when they're sick or get injured," Feeney said. "It's just an appreciation of life in all of its forms. And I just can't help but gush. Those dogs were so cute. Who doesn't love seeing cute puppies?"
