Holy pet ceremony held to commemorate St Francis

In a small and intimate ceremony last week, a group of Broome pets gathered to receive a special blessing to mark the feast of St Francis of Assisi.

The inaugural blessing of pets at the Nicholas Emo Centre was led by Father Matt Digges of the Broome Diocese to commemorate the feast of St Francis, known as the patron saint of animals. During the ceremony, celebratory songs were sung including the Prayer of St Francis, and Fr Digges read an excerpt from the book of Genesis.

Locals and their fourlegged friends listened attentively as Fr Digges reflected on the life of the saint, before each canine was blessed with holy water.

Fr Digges said animals brought a lot of joy to the lives of many people, and were regarded as part of the love and face of God, echoing the saint’s belief nature itself was the mirror of God.

St Francis was born in 1181 and was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher.

The son of a wealthy merchant, he enjoyed a prosperous life. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision from God which led him back to Assisi, where he gave up his life of luxury and lived in poverty.

St Francis was known throughout his life for his love of animals. He called all creatures “brothers” and “sisters” and even preached to the birds.

It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day, October 4.