Bless the Animals
If you happen to pass by Pasadena’s All Saints Church or San Mateo’s Peninsula MCC today you may notice something out of the ordinary. On Sept. 28 these two worship centers are blessing pets–all kinds of them. Pigs, rats, cats, llamas, horses, snakes, lizards, frogs, dogs and even polliwogs are welcomed with open arms and given a blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. The patron saint of animals is officially honored on October 4 each year, but animal blessings have become such a popular attraction that ceremonies to bless them occur days and even weeks before and after October 4. And California’s biggest and oldest blessing tradition, Olvera Street Blessing of the Animals, takes place the Saturday before Easter Sunday.
Here are a few cities and locations where you can take your pet to be blessed:
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS on October 4, 2014
- Beverly Hills
- Bonita
- Danville
- Lincoln
- Oceanside
- Sacramento
- San Bernardino
- San Rafael
- Santa Barbara
- Woodland Hills
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS on October 5, 2014
- Novato
- Paradise
- Roseville
- San Francisco
- Santa Monica
- Santa Rosa
- Saratoga
- Thousand Oaks
- Windsor
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