Every Dog, Cat and Hamster Has Its Day

Blessed are the hamsters.

So are the dogs and cats, the chameleons and chickens, all of whom were represented at St. Joachim Catholic School on Friday for a special “blessing of the animals” in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order and known as a friend to all creatures.

Fifth-grader Jeffrey Standel, 10, came with his hamster, George, and Lhasa apso, Murphy.

“This hamster hasn’t been blessed yet, but my dog was last year,” Jeffrey said. “It’s really nice for something other than a human to get blessed.”

St. Joachim priest Cirilo Flores gathered the children and animals to mark the Feast Day of St. Francis, an annual Roman Catholic observance.

Calling the students his “little brothers and sisters,” Flores led a morning prayer before splashing pets and students alike with holy water.

“St. Francis loved the animals,” Flores told students from kindergarten through eighth grader. “St. Francis loved all creation.”

Francis of Assisi, Italy, lived from 1181 or 1182 to 1226 and was canonized two years after his death. A wealthy war hero, he was inspired by a conversation with a leper to give away his money, belongings and clothing to care for the ill and poor.

He founded the Franciscans, an order of monks, and the Poor Clares, an order of nuns.

He also had a great affection for animals.

Birds were said to land on his shoulders, and beasts of all stripes gathered at his feet. Artists often depict him with various creatures.

For Friday’s service, students brought their pets to school to make Francis’s teachings relevant to children, said sister Cheryl Hebestreit, a nun at St. Joachim.

Miraculously, the animals seemed to get along--no cat or dog fights. They were grouped by species, however, with canines on one side of the playground and felines on the other. Reptiles and amphibians set in their bowls and aquariums near the tetherball courts.

Birds--in cages--fluttered near classrooms, while rodents had their own section, subdivided for gerbils, hamsters and rabbits.

Fourth-grader Lana Hurley, 9, brought guinea pigs Scratchy and Squealy and hare Roger Rabbit for special reasons: “I wanted to get them blessed so they can live longer.”

Judith Brown, who has a kindergartner and a fifth-grader enrolled at the school, said the gathering was an important lesson in kindness for her children, fifth-grader Lee, 10, and kindergartner Shay, 5. The family brought a Siamese kitten, Precious.

“It teaches the children that God loves all creatures, not just people,” Brown said.