It is not unusual to see some four-legged companions inside St. James Episcopal Church Newport Beach on any given Sunday, but even more turn out for the annual Blessing of the Animals, which is held around Oct. 4, the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi.
“We’ve received a lot of calls over the past week about the blessing of the animals,” the Rev. Canon Cindy Voorhees said. “It appears people want something happy to do.
“It is such an amazing tribute to Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment. Last year we had over 100 dogs, also snakes, guinea pigs and birds. I recommend no cats because it’s too stressful for them.”
This year the animal count grew to more than 120 pets, mostly dogs, who filled pews in anticipation of receiving their yearly blessing along with a St. Francis medal.
“At St. James the Great we call it our third most holy day of the year, Easter and Christmas being the first two,” Voorhees said.
It was the first time for Christine Gustafson to have her dog, Avery blessed. She said she learned about about St. James church when she spotted a recommendation on Nextdoor.
“It’s walking distance to my house and when I looked online I saw the Blessing of the Animals service,” Gustafson said. “And that was the sign that I needed to come here today with my precious fur baby.”
Gary Scannell found his 12-year-old rescue dog, Ted, nine years ago at the Laguna Beach Shelter. “Ted gets blessed every year,” Scannell said.
“St. James is very all inclusive church and it celebrates, tech, the environment and all of God’s creatures,” he added.