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WATCH: The Blessing of the Animals Might Be the Church’s Cutest Tradition

Every October, churches welcome dogs, cats, sheep, snakes, and more for a blessing inspired by St. Francis of Assisi.

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The Blessing of the Animals is a contender for the Church’s most adorable tradition, as we will explore below with some recent videos. The event is celebrated on and around the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (1181 — 3 October, 1226), which takes place on October 4. Italy reinstated it as a national holiday in 2025 — a decision that took effect this year. October 4 also serves as World Animal Day.

The Blessing of the Animals is not the only celebration of its kind (The Eastern Orthodox Church blesses animals on December 16 in memory of St. Modestos, for example), but it is the most iconic. Parishioners bring their cats, dogs, snakes, raccoons, kangaroos, camels, lizards, goldfish, and hamsters, who are sometimes rewarded with treats. I even had a pastor who brought her very own canine to the party.

St. Francis himself famously extended his preaching to the birds, who are said to have responded with demonstrable joy. No creature, not even the worms, was too lowly for St. Francis to help. As a natural consequence, furry friends, bugs, and fish all gravitated toward this beacon of compassion whose........

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