Blessing of the Animals celebrates all God’s creatures

St. George’s Chapel in Harbeson and the Episcopal Parish of All Saints’ Church in Rehoboth Beach recently held annual Blessing of the Animals events. St. George’s was Sept. 30, while All Saints’ held its Oct. 1.

At All Saints’ in Rehoboth Beach, the Rev. Shelley D. McDade said the blessings coincide with the annual Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. St. Francis believed all things are God’s creations and that God is in everything, she said.

In the garden next to the church on Olive Avenue, McDade offered about a dozen dogs and their owners a quick blessing as a whole and then individually. Some owners even had their dogs blessed through their cellphones. McDade told people not to worry about getting her dirty, as she expected to be jumped on.

“This can get dry cleaned,” she said.

After being blessed, everyone received a St. Francis pendant and a short prayer that read, “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all!”