St Francis Of Assisi
(Prayer For Animals And Pets)
Ever wondered if the saint behind St Francis prayer for animals is the same “Francis” who inspired St Francis of Assisi prayer used in AA?
Indeed, even though the intention of the prayers are different (one is St Francis prayer for pets, while the other is for a human on recovery), they both trace back to St Francis Of Assisi.
St Francis Prayer For Animals
Anyone who has had a pet or been around animals understands that not only does every animal have its own unique personality and intelligence, but that animals can be very responsive to the human beings around them.
Interestingly, this responsiveness can be brought to unimaginable levels in the presence of holy people. The many stories of St Francis and the animals are the perfect and most beloved examples of this. It is no wonder that the St Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, and the environment and there is St Francis Prayer for animals.
Love For All God’s Creatures
Francis’ deep love of God overflowed into love for all God’s creatures—expressed not only in his tender care of lepers and his (unsuccessful) attempt to negotiate peace between Muslims and Christians during the fifth Crusade, but also in his prayers of thanksgiving for creation, his sermons preached to animals and his insistence that all creatures are brothers and sisters under God.
He is remembered for his compassion towards animals and it was said that animals, most particularly a lamb, followed him everywhere. Animals where drawn to him and it is said that his donkey cried, when on his deathbed the dying saint thanked him for carrying him around throughout this life.
Here are some of the wonderful stories that illuminate his love for animals.
1. "All Ye Birds Of The Air, Bless The Lord"
Saint Francis and his companions were making a trip through the Spoleto Valley near the town of Bevagna. Suddenly, Saint Francis spotted a great number of birds of all varieties’ doves, crows and others. Swept up in the moment, Saint Francis left his friends in the road and ran after the birds, who patiently waited for him. He greeted them in his usual way, expecting them to scurry off into the air as he spoke. But they didn’t move.
Filled with awe, he asked them if they would stay awhile and listen to the Word of God. He said to them: “My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love him: He gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need. It is God who made you noble among all creatures, making your home in the air. Without sowing or reaping, you receive God’s guidance and protection.”
At this the birds began to spread their wings, stretch their necks and gaze at the saint, rejoicing and praising God in a wonderful way according to their nature. Saint Francis then walked right through the middle of them, turned around and came back, touching their heads and bodies with his tunic.
Then he gave them his blessing, making the sign of the cross over them. At that they flew off and Saint Francis, rejoicing and giving thanks to God, went on his way.
Later, Saint Francis wondered aloud to his companions why he had never preached to birds before. And from that day on, he made it his habit to solicitously invoke all birds, all animals and reptiles to praise and love their Creator. And many times during his life there were remarkable events of Saint Francis speaking to the animals. There was even a time when he quieted a flock of noisy birds that were interrupting a religious ceremony! Much to the wonder of all present, the birds remained quiet until Francis’ sermon was complete.
2. The Rabbit
One day a brother brought a rabbit who had been caught in a trap to St Francis. The saint advised the rabbit to be more alert in the future, then released the rabbit from the trap and set it on the ground to go its way. But the rabbit hopped back up onto Saint Francis’ lap, desiring to be close to the saint.
Saint Francis took the rabbit a few steps into the woods and set it down. But it followed Saint Francis back to his seat and hopped on his lap again! Finally Saint Francis asked one of his fellow friars to take the rabbit far into the woods and let it go.
3. The Gubbio Wolf
While Saint Francis was staying in the town of Gubbio he learned of a wolf so ravenous that it was not only killing and eating animals, but people, too. The people took up arms and went after it, but those who encountered the wolf perished at its sharp teeth. Villagers became afraid to leave the city walls.
Saint Francis had pity on the people and decided to go out and meet the wolf. He was desperately warned by the people, but he insisted that God would take care of him. A brave friar and several peasants accompanied Francis outside the city gate. But soon the peasants lost heart and said they would go no farther.
Saint Francis and his companion began to walk on. Suddenly the wolf, jaws agape, charged out of the woods at the couple. St Francis made the Sign of the Cross toward it. The power of God caused the wolf to slow down and to close its mouth.
Then Saint Francis called out to the creature: “Come to me, Brother Wolf. In the name of Christ, I order you not to hurt anyone.” At that moment the wolf lowered its head and lay down at Saint Francis’ feet, meek as a lamb.
Saint Francis explained to the wolf that he had been terrorizing the people, killing not only animals, but humans who are made in the image of God. “Brother Wolf,” said Francis, “I want to make peace between you and the people of Gubbio. They will harm you no more and you must no longer harm them. All past crimes are to be forgiven.”
The wolf showed its assent by moving its body and nodding its head. Then to the absolute surprise of the gathering crowd, Saint Francis asked the wolf to make a pledge.
As Saint Francis extended his hand to receive the pledge, so the wolf extended its front paw and placed it into the saint’s hand. Then Saint Francis commanded the wolf to follow him into town to make a peace pact with the townspeople. The wolf meekly followed Saint Francis.
By the time they got to the town square, everyone was there to witness the miracle. With the wolf at his side, Saint Francis gave the town a sermon on the wondrous and fearful love of God, calling them to repent from all their sins. Then he offered the townspeople peace, on behalf of the wolf.
The townspeople promised in a loud voice to feed the wolf. Then Saint Francis asked the wolf if he would live in peace under those terms. He bowed his head and twisted his body in a way that convinced everyone he accepted the pact. Then once again the wolf placed its paw in Saint Francis’ hand as a sign of the pact.
From that day on the people kept the pact they had made. The wolf lived for two years among the townspeople, going from door to door for food. It hurt no one and no one hurt it. Even the dogs did not bark at it.
When the wolf finally died of old age, the people of Gubbio were sad. The wolf’s peaceful ways had been a living reminder to them of the wonders, patience, virtues and holiness of Saint Francis. It had been a living symbol of the power and providence of the living God.
4. Saint Francis And The Lambs
Saint Francis had great love and respect for the sanctity of all life, seeing all creation as his brothers and sisters in the Lord. On one occasion he came upon a merchant carrying two small lambs to market. Moved by the plaintive bleating of the lambs, he caressed them and asked the peasant, “Why do you torment my brothers the lambs?”
When he learned in horror that the man intended to sell them for slaughter, he declared “That will not happen!” and bought them from the man.
At Portiuncula for many years he had a tame lamb which followed him everywhere, even into the church, where its bleating mingled with the chants of the brethren.
At another time in Rome Saint Francis procured a lamb for himself, which upon his departure he gave to the lady Jacopa. The lamb lived in her house many years and used to follow her to mass in the mornings. Indeed, in its eagerness to go to church it would often wake its mistress with friendly buttings of the head when she was late it getting up.
Out of this lamb’s wool Jacopa spun and wove the habit which in the autumn of 1226 she took with her to Portiuncula, and in which Saint Francis died.
Saint Francis's Canticle of All Creatures
In addition to his affinity for animals, Francis loved all of creation. He loved flowers and cared for trees. In fact, he would ask the brother who was in charge of cutting wood to be sure to leave enough trees that they would grow again. Aside from St Francis prayer for animals, his love of all creation is perhaps best expressed in his “Canticle to Brother Sun,” which he composed shortly before he died.
During a session of intense prayer, Francis emerged with the same wounds given to Jesus on the cross called the stigmata. They bled and ached as real wounds, but would never heal and no one could explain how they had gotten there. Several other saints received these wounds, but Francis was the first. He also was suffering with near blindness and endured several painful procedures involving hot irons and medicines.
Francis responded, however, with praise for Creation in a piece called “Canticle of the Sun’ in which he thanked “Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth” for the beautiful life he had lived as they were where he had seen God. He asked pardon of his own body as well, for having put it through so much in his lifetime.
This poem, as simple as it is profound and as plain as it is beautiful, supposedly inspired Dante to write his Divine Comedy in Italian instead of Latin. To this day, “Canticle to Brother Sun” is the oldest surviving piece of poetry written in Italian.
Canticle of All Creatures
Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.
Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,
Mother Earth who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon
for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
By You Most High, they will be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.
Heavenly Father,
You gave Your servant Francis
great love for each of Your creatures.
Teach us to see Your design in all of creation.
We ask this in Jesus’ Name.
Amen.
St Francis Prayer For Animals & Pets
On July 16, 1228, Francis was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. His feast day is celebrated on October 4, and because of Francis’ strong affiliation and the depth of his feelings for all God’s creatures it is often celebrated with a blessing of animals.
From time to time, a second feast day has been celebrated on September 17, in honour of the stigmata that he suffered in 1224.
Blessing of the Animals celebrations are held on October 4, the feast of Saint Francis, all over the United States. They are often held outdoors. A priest blesses each pet by praying a St Francis prayer for animals and sprinkling the pet with holy water.
This St Francis Prayer for animals and pets is commonly done on Saint Francis’ feast day.
St Francis Prayer For Pets
Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
You called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.
You inspired Saint Francis to call all of them
his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this pet.
By the power of your love,
enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
in all your creatures!
Amen.
Prayer For Sick Animals
Heavenly Father, creators of heaven and earth,
You made all that we see and gave man dominion over your creations – for that we are grateful.
We thank you for the gift of our special animal companions who have brought nothing but love and joy in our lives.
We come before you today dear Lord asking for you healing power and mercies.
We ask that you take away the suffering of our beloved pet (mention name here), and restore them to good health.
Almighty God, make our special companion whole again; help them overcome whatever weakness of the body they may have, and they will join us in worshiping your name.
Whenever I see (pet’s name) playing/running/jumping around,
I know and believe that they are singing praises in your name.
Fill them with your healing light and rejuvenate their energy so they may continue to be living proof of your awesome nature.
But most of all, give us a new understanding of our responsibilities so we may care for the environment as your Holy word decrees.
This we pray trusting and believing in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Amen
St Francis Of Assisi (Prayer For Animals And Pets) Summary
St Francis’s love of nature is made evident by the legends that surround his interaction with animals. The stories and many of the St Francis prayer for animals and pets are used to this date to celebrate the saint’s relentless devotion to all Gods creatures. Aside “Canticle to Brother Sun”, another St Francis of Assisi famous prayer is the one that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) adopted early on as an 11th Step Prayer.
A large part of the legacy that St Francis bequeathed to later generations was his example of harmony with creation. Instead of setting themselves over and against creation, and perceiving plants, animals, and the earth as mere objects to exploit, human beings should care for the created world.
The Saint Prayer Miracle was created to be a prayer circle for all believers who wish to pray for blessings and get daily devotionals from holy saints.
Saints didn’t live perfect lives, but they did learn how to lean on God, sow peace, and love others during their time on earth. We pray with the Saints as they desire to help us draw closer to God.
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