In the spirit of St. Francis: Congregational Church of La Jolla hosts blessing of the animals

The two-legged congregants of Congregational Church of La Jolla were joined by some of their four-legged friends during the morning service Oct. 12, when the church hosted its traditional blessing of the animals.

The service, held in honor of St. Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of animals and the environment), was led by the church’s pastor, the Rev. Tim Seery.

“Our annual blessing of the animals is just one of the many ways that we celebrate the joy of living and get really curious about all the ways our animal companions contribute to our well-being and our understanding of the divine,” Seery said. “This is an opportunity to give thanks, to take a moment to appreciate not just our own pets but the whole of creation that sustains us and the interconnected web of existence of which we are a part.”

Seery invited the pets to come forward with their owners to have holy water dripped on their fur and a prayer said for them. Some participants had specific prayer requests for their animals — one dog was recently diagnosed with cancer — while others were more general.

Little Dipper was there with his owner, Alice Astarita, who regularly attends Congregational Church of La Jolla.

“He’s part of my every waking hour and sometimes also every sleeping hour,” Astarita said. “He’s a huge part of my life, so he needs to be recognized and blessed.”

She sometimes takes her dog to services, but he’s “feisty and loud” so often is left at home, she said.

During the blessing of the animals, however, Little Dipper could “express himself,” Astarita said. “It’s his time. … It’s a special occasion.”