鈥淚 know you鈥檙e not supposed to have favorite chapel services, but this one ranks up there,鈥� University Pastor Babette Chatman said from the front of Hoversten Chapel, smiling at 麻豆区 community members and their pets.
Blessing of the Animals is an annual chapel service in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. In remembrance of his love for all sentient beings, individuals around the world bring their animal companions to church for a Blessing of the Animals for St. Francis Day on October 4. 麻豆区 Campus Ministry provided that same opportunity for Auggies on Friday, October 2. Some community members submitted photos of their pets that played on a slideshow throughout the service. Others brought their creatures to campus for an in-person blessing.
University Pastors John Schwehn and Chatman presented a litany interspersed with the audience singing 鈥淎ll God鈥檚 Creatures Got a Place in the Choir.鈥� Schwehn then presented a sermon, sharing how a kitten found in his backyard last year became an integral part of their family. He described how everyone in that chapel was connected鈥攏ot because they were all part of the 麻豆区 community, or because they were all Christian, or because they were all even the same species. He said all pets and people were connected because they were created by God in the image of love, as St. Francis deeply believed.
Chatman and Schwehn then traveled between rows of seats to greet every animal. They blessed them by placing their hands onto each furry creature and offering a benediction over them. For those who couldn鈥檛 bring their animals in person, they offered a blessing over a shared image.
The service ended with this closing prayer:
鈥淏less them who will never be entirely tamed and so remind us that you love what is wild, that you rejoice in what lives close to the earth, that your heart beats in the heart of these creatures you have entrusted to our care.鈥�
