Fern the goat was there Sunday, as were a pair of mynah birds, a cat and lots of dogs at the St. John’s – The Episcopal Church on West Kaua‘i.
“Today we welcome our four-legged friends, winged songbirds, growling things and hoofed, shoed ones,” said Kahu Kerry Holder Joffrion of St. John’s during the special prayer celebrating The Feast of St. Francis and Blessing of Animals.
“Today is the honoring of St. Francis Day, which comes every October. It is a time when we are blessed to bless the animals.”
The special service at the ‘Ele‘ele church was moved outdoors to accommodate the special furred and feathered guests that were provided blessings by the kahu at the service where the parking lot was full to overflowing and the audience relocated their seats to every available piece of shade in an attempt to escape the rapidly warming morning.
Francis understood the love of God and divine nature of every living thing, she said.
“So full of love was this humble one that he shook with joy in the simplest of cricket sounds and rustling of wings,” she said. “Francis was born to privilege, but it is his story of facing his fears that drove the church to reform and change under his prophetic and simple life that connects us to him still. Every creature had voice, and the voices rose together to from the canticle to the sun, the moon….the fire.”
Carmen Bernos De Gasztold wrote prayers from the voices of the animals, including “The Prayer of the Dog.”
“…They call me ‘Good dog! Nice dog!”
“Words…
I take their pats
And the old bones they throw at me
And I seem pleased.
They really believe they make me happy
I take the children’s kicks too
When they are too little to know
None of that matters,
I keep watch!
Lord, do not let me die
Until, for them,
All danger is driven away. Amen.”
And the procession of furred and feathered creatures started,
beginning with the cat who wasn’t spooked by the scent of dog, and the pair of birds and the goat.
The Cove Center of Veterinary Expertise states on its website, the Blessing of the Animals is an annual ceremony celebrating the human-animal bond originating from a Roman Catholic tradition as part of the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment.
St. Francis is one of the most beloved Catholic saints, admired for his deep and genuine respect for all creatures, and his belief in the interdependency of humans with the rest of creation.
The Episcopal Church on West Kaua‘i is one congregation with two worship spaces, St. John’s in ‘Ele‘ele and St. Paul’s in Kekaha. Both churches serve the West Kaua‘i community.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
