By Fr Francis Carey MSSC

St. Francis is the patron saint of animal lovers, after all he even preached to the birds. So MalateChurch in Manila holds a special blessing for animals on the Feast of St. Francis which gives Fr. Francis Carey the opportunity to talk about the wider issue of caring for the earth.

Pythons, lizards and spiders are among the pets that people in the Philippines brings for a blessing every year on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. They also bring birds, a horse or two, a sheep and some goats. However, dogs and cats are by far the most popular. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that there were at least 100 animals, including sheep, rabbits, parrots and a hedgehog. A group of men dragged in a donkey and a small boy brought a fish in a glass bowl. One woman brought along her iguana for a blessing. He was a tranquil pet and never moved during the whole ceremony.

Over the last years when we have had the blessing of animals in the parish, mostly middle class people have brought along their animals. They are wealthy enough to own purebred cats and dogs that ordinary people could not afford to keep. Children from squatter areas also come along to bring with them any stray cats they can find. It is an occasion for everyone who loves animals to come together.

Zoo inside the church

The first time we had the blessing there was chaos in the church. The church filled up with people and animals at 9:00 am on the first Sunday in October. It was a miracle that in spite of all the barking, yapping and hissing the people showed kindness and consideration to each other and did their best to calm their pets. Churchgoers who attended Mass stayed on to gawk at the animals, as a picturesque stone church began to smell and sound like a zoo. There were always new faces in the congregation but several people show up faithfully every year with their pets.

Care for the earth

Now we have to procession out into the garden beside the church. All gather around outside for the blessing. It is an occasion to call attention to concern for the whole of creation. We promote the Care for the Earth programme. It is advertised widely on the net, radio and TV, and the response to it has grown over the last few years. Many who are interested in animal welfare have worked hard to publicize what we are doing. An animal welfare expert offers advice to pet lovers. Before and after the Mass in Malate Church there are stalls offering naturally grown vegetables and herbs for sale.

Endangered Species

There are hardly any wild birds in the Philippines now. In Manila I have seen a crow, a sparrow, a myna bird and possibly a pigeon in the garden. The Philippines used to have more birds thanAustralia.

In caring for pets we hope to raise the consciousness of people generally about the need to respect and protect all animal life. Perhaps in doing that we will grow in our appreciation of all the animals and plants that are part of the creation.

Salamat sa THE FAR EAST