St. Francis Celebration
Blessing of the Animals & Blessing of the Wheels
On the first Sunday in October we celebrate St. Francis of Assisi. Like Francis we celebrate God's presence in all of Creation. We honor God's presence in creation by blessing animals and bikes (see prayers, below) during our Sunday morning liturgies at 8:30 and 10:45AM!
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The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning.
When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them;
and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.
Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them;
for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:19-21
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The living creatures darted to and fro, like a flash of lightning.
When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them;
and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.
Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them;
for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:19-21
A Blessing for Bikes & their Riders
O God of the journey, Bless and protect your people as they move through the world; bless these wheels that carry us; keep all who share the roads safe by day and night, and send down your Spirit that, fortified by the might of your heavenly protection, these bicycles may be help and aid to all. May our wheels rise and we move in your glory, now and forever. Amen.
A Blessing for Pets & their People
Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things and giver of all life, let your blessing be upon all these animals. May our relationships with them mirror your love, and our care for them be an example of your bountiful mercy. Grant the animals health and peace. Strengthen us to love and care for them as we strive to imitate the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and God’s servant Francis. Amen.
O God of the journey, Bless and protect your people as they move through the world; bless these wheels that carry us; keep all who share the roads safe by day and night, and send down your Spirit that, fortified by the might of your heavenly protection, these bicycles may be help and aid to all. May our wheels rise and we move in your glory, now and forever. Amen.
A Blessing for Pets & their People
Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things and giver of all life, let your blessing be upon all these animals. May our relationships with them mirror your love, and our care for them be an example of your bountiful mercy. Grant the animals health and peace. Strengthen us to love and care for them as we strive to imitate the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and God’s servant Francis. Amen.
St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) Italian mystic and church reformer who sang God’s work in all of nature—sun, moon, plants, animals, life, and death— and in the passion of Christ. His vernacular hymns, popular processions, and the first Christmas crèche (Nativity scene) were among his sensual and intuitive church reforms that appealed to people’s imagination, hope, and delight. Following one story of his peacemaking with animals, Francis is painted with a wolf. (October 4)
Francis loved all creatures, and creation readily sensed it. He liked preaching to birds, who flocked to him unafraid. At Gubbio, a prowling she-wolf was devouring the farm animals and terrifying the townsfolk, so Francis went into the forest to talk with her. After their conversation the wolf abandoned Gubbio’s environs to hunt elsewhere, leaving the people of the area in peace. Once a child at St Gregory’s asked rector Rick Fabian why the animals have no halos, like the human saints. Rick explained: “Animals are perfect, just as they are; they don’t need halos.”
Francis and three other saints portrayed with animals in St. Gregory's Dancing Saints Mural— Seraphim, Lady Godiva, and Sadi—remind us that God’s work of creation extends to all creatures, and that some have known God in companionship with animals or through imaginative and compassionate reflection on the stories of animals.
You can find more resources to help you explore and celebrate St. Francis here.
Francis loved all creatures, and creation readily sensed it. He liked preaching to birds, who flocked to him unafraid. At Gubbio, a prowling she-wolf was devouring the farm animals and terrifying the townsfolk, so Francis went into the forest to talk with her. After their conversation the wolf abandoned Gubbio’s environs to hunt elsewhere, leaving the people of the area in peace. Once a child at St Gregory’s asked rector Rick Fabian why the animals have no halos, like the human saints. Rick explained: “Animals are perfect, just as they are; they don’t need halos.”
Francis and three other saints portrayed with animals in St. Gregory's Dancing Saints Mural— Seraphim, Lady Godiva, and Sadi—remind us that God’s work of creation extends to all creatures, and that some have known God in companionship with animals or through imaginative and compassionate reflection on the stories of animals.
You can find more resources to help you explore and celebrate St. Francis here.