Paws and prayers: Abu Dhabi’s annual pet blessing returns

Dubai: It will be a different kind of gathering at St. Joseph’s Cathedral this Sunday, as dogs, cats, and other beloved pets join their families for a special blessing.

The cathedral’s annual “Blessing of Pets” returns on Sunday, October 4, at 3pm, with the ceremony taking place near the main stage.

Families have been invited to bring their pets and take part in the parish celebration, which coincides with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

The event follows last year’s gathering, when pet owners and their animal companions have come together at the Abu Dhabi parish for the blessing.

“From last year’s Blessing of Pets, a parish afternoon that looked a little different from the usual, with pets and their families sharing in the blessing,” wrote St. Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi in a Facebook post.

The tradition has been linked to St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century Italian friar who is widely associated with animals, nature, and care for creation.

Born in Assisi around 1181 or 1182, Francis came from a wealthy family but has chosen a life of poverty and service. He has founded the Franciscan religious movement and became known for his close relationship with the natural world.

Catholics regard St. Francis as the patron saint of animals and ecology, and his feast day is celebrated every year on October 4.

That is why churches in many parts of the world mark the occasion by blessing animals, from household pets to farm animals.

For pet owners, the ceremony is also a way of expressing gratitude for the companionship animals bring to families and recognising the responsibility of caring for them.

Meanwhile, St Joseph’s Cathedral is the main Catholic cathedral in the UAE capital and serves a large and diverse expatriate Catholic community, with services celebrated in several languages.

This year’s Blessing of Pets will take place on the feast day itself, giving families an opportunity to mark the occasion with their animal companions.

For Abu Dhabi’s many pet-owning families, Sunday’s gathering will offer a distinctly different sight from the cathedral’s usual services, with parishioners arriving alongside the animals that have become part of their families.