St. Agnes School in Springfield is bringing together people and animals for its annual Blessing of the Animals on Oct. 4. Rachel Cunningham, principal of St. Agnes School, and Cathy Becker, pastoral associate, share what is planned for the event and the Catholic tradition behind it, which honors St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. People are invited to bring their pets or farm animals to the event, which will feature local vendors, animal resources, adoption agencies, therapy dogs, and more. There will also be food, games, and crafts. The event runs from noon to 2 p.m., with the blessing taking place at 1 p.m.
Melissa Snider:
Welcome to Community Voices, a production of NPR Illinois. I'm your co-host Melissa Snider in the studio with Rachel Cunningham, the principal of St. Agnes Catholic School in Springfield, and Cathy Becker. Cathy is the pastoral associate for the parish. So St. Agnes Catholic School does an annual Blessing of the Animals, is that right?
Cathy Becker:
Yes, it is.
Melissa Snider:
Awesome. This year it's taking place on October 4th.
Rachel Cunningham:
That's correct.
Melissa Snider:
So tell me a little bit about this event.
Cathy Becker:
Well, the blessing of the animals is a rich Catholic tradition dating from the 12th century to celebrate St. Francis' feast day. He's the patron of animals, the patron of peace and poverty, and since 1979, environmental ecology. So lots of Catholic and other Christian traditions will host a blessing of the animals where people bring their pets or their farm animals or their companion animals. I've even heard of priests going out to zoos. and blessing animals. But what we've turned it into at St. Agnes is this big festival. We bring in some local vendors and adoption agencies like Wild and the Meow Mobile from the Sangamon County Animal Control. We'll have the Fishman, the reptile and fish retailer here in Springfield, some therapy dogs. Laketown Animal Hospital will be with us. We will be selling food, hot dogs, brats, chips, snow cones, and that's either cash, check, or Venmo. Lots of games and crafts for kids and animals.
Melissa Snider:
That's at the school, right?
Rachel Cunningham:
That is on the school grounds and parish grounds also, yes.
Melissa Snider:
Awesome. So that's on October 4th.
Cathy Becker:
Correct.
Melissa Snider:
What time?
Cathy Becker:
From 12 to 2.
Melissa Snider:
12 to 2.
Cathy Becker:
And the blessing is at 1:00.
Melissa Snider:
Okay.
Cathy Becker:
Our priest and our deacon will come out and do a little prayer service and bless all the critters.
Melissa Snider:
How did the blessing of the animals get started at your school?
Rachel Cunningham:
Well, several years ago, this is always, as Cathy said earlier, this has always been a tradition within the Catholic Church. Many times after weekend masses of St. Francis's feast day fell on a weekend, a Saturday or Sunday, the parish priest would say, please bring your animals. I'm happy to bless them. And several years ago, marketing director Chris Wellman just kind of took this whole blessing of the pets and turned it into something a bit bigger, a festival, if you will, to bring in vendors and just turn it into something that could be an event for the community. And since then, it's just kind of taken off. Cathy has taken that over. with her staff at the church now. It's turned into quite an event that we see. The yard is full of people and pets now, and we have lots of vendors to share their knowledge of animal care, animal adoption, animal whatever it might be. And it's just turned into a big community event now.
Melissa Snider:
Yeah, it sounds like quite the production.
Rachel Cunningham:
It is.
Cathy Becker:
But as much as it's a lot of moving parts, it's just a blast. And we have a volunteer crew from the school in the parish who pitch in to set up and clean up and cook the burgers and a lot of work to get involved.
Rachel Cunningham:
There is. It's quite a production.
Cathy Becker:
This is probably the biggest part. Because once we start, it runs itself. Everybody just comes around and we have a blast.
Melissa Snider:
That's awesome.
Rachel Cunningham:
If you've never come before to an event like this, and I know many churches around Springfield do the same type of thing, but this is just a lovely community event, not only among our own parishioners and families and students, but we do have those that come from elsewhere to bring their animals because they know that we offer that and they want their animal to receive that blessing. So it's nice to welcome them into the community and speak to them and learn a little bit about them and see their animals that they bring. But it's a very, very friendly event, very just enjoyable. It's going to put a smile on your face.
Melissa Snider:
You really can't go wrong with that.
Rachel Cunningham:
No, you can't.
Cathy Becker:
It's not a long event. You can stay as long as you like. It's just two hours. The blessings at one, like we said. And we've had new parishioners come or people come with their friends and family from other places. And there's also, of course, those community resources too. So they can get a new veterinarian or adopt an animal or find out a little bit more about more exotic pets. Have something to eat and just be with friends. Yeah.
Rachel Cunningham:
Come be with community and enjoy.
Melissa Snider:
That sounds good. So I'm curious, what are the typical kind of animals you see and maybe the not so typical?
Cathy Becker:
Lots of dogs and cats, right? I don't know which one is the most popular pet in the United States these days.
Rachel Cunningham:
I think we mostly get a lot of dogs at the event. I think the most unusual I've seen at one of them in the past has been a gecko. So somebody's brought their gecko with them to have blessed. Yes.
Cathy Becker:
Bearded dragons.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yeah. Oh, that also, yes
Cathy Becker:
An occasional hamster or guinea pig.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes.
Melissa Snider:
Any rabbits?
Rachel Cunningham:
Rabbits, frogs.
Melissa Snider:
Turtles?
Rachel Cunningham:
Turtles. Oh yes, turtles have shown up also, occasionally.
Cathy Becker:
We have a parishioner who has a small farm and I really wanted to bring their donkey.
Melissa Snider:
Oh yes, I was going to ask you, have you seen a horse or anything?
Cathy Becker:
No, net yet.
Rachel Cunningham:
No, one has brought a trailer with an animal in it yet.
Cathy Becker:
You know, maybe this is the year.
Rachel Cunningham:
It might be, we're hoping so.
Melissa Snider:
So if you're listening and you have a trailer with an animal in it, particularly maybe a horse or a donkey.
Cathy Becker:
Bring it on
Melissa Snider:
Come on over
Cathy Becker:
Sheep, goats.
Rachel Cunningham:
Pull up in the parking lot, Father Paul will go over and bless it, no problem at all.
Melissa Snider:
I love it.
Cathy Becker:
I mean, it's all outside. So it's okay.
Melissa Snider:
So have either one of you brought a pet before?
Rachel Cunningham:
I have cats and they don't travel very well. So we actually, what I do is I hold up a picture of my cats and father comes by and he blesses it for me. So we're good. You've brought your dogs before though, haven't you?
Cathy Becker:
I have brought my two dogs. They're both Australian Cattle Dogs. They look like Bluey and Bingo. They don't act like Bluey and Bingo, so they don't always get to come. Because I'm pretty busy, you know, getting everything ready and they are very much into herding everybody into one corner.
Melissa Snider:
They've got a job to do.
Cathy Becker:
And they're aggressive at it. So we don't always bring Loki and Cora.
Melissa Snider:
Yeah, that's fair.
Cathy Becker:
The animals are great. They have them on their leashes, of course, or whatever, you know, container or crate or whatever works the best. We've had fish.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes, we have had fish too.
Cathy Becker:
The goldfish.
Melissa Snider:
Nice.
Cathy Becker:
And bring them on. And if they're, kind of reclusive, they can just stay with you in the shade. Or if they're one of those kinds of pets that loves that get snuggles from all the kids, everybody just connects. They do.
Rachel Cunningham:
It's a very lovely event.
Melissa Snider:
Yeah. So is there anything you want people to know before the event?
Cathy Becker:
You need to make sure that your animal is not reactive to other pets, especially dogs that are reactive to other dogs might not do so well. And you could bring them and keep them separate, but then you're not going to be able to interact with anybody else. So just be mindful of what kind of pet you have. Everything needs to be contained or leashed.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes, and make sure they are on a strong leash if they are an excitable critter so they're not jumping on other folks or on other animals.
Melissa Snider:
For those of you just joining us, you're listening to Community Voices, a production of NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS. I'm your co-host, Melissa Snider, in the studio with Rachel Cunningham, the principal of St. Agnes Catholic School in Springfield, and Cathy Becker. Cathy is the pastoral associate for the parish. So St. Agnes Catholic School does an annual blessing of the animals October 4th.
Rachel Cunningham:
Correct. Sunday afternoon starting at 12, ending at 2 p.m. The blessing of the animals itself will take place at 1 p.m.
Melissa Snider:
What is it like seeing all of these animals gathered together at the school?
Rachel Cunningham:
When they've all come together, it's really an amazing sight because you've got such a mixture out there. And again, mainly dogs that you see, but cats and other critters that come along. And when the blessing is going on, it's like they know what's happening. It does quiet down. They sit, they kind of pay attention to what the priest and the deacon is doing and receive their blessings. So it's quite a unique event to see a yard full of animals at a school on a Sunday afternoon, all just kind of sitting there paying attention and receiving a blessing.
Melissa Snider:
Truly a very unique event.
Rachel Cunningham:
It is. It really is.
Cathy Becker:
What I love about it is the way that people connect with each other. They sit and they talk with each other and they Compare notes about all sorts of things. Such a community builder and such an exciting, prayerful, spiritual, but just fun event. And every year, some dogs or cats have gotten adopted. So we've been able to place some critters in their forever homes.
Melissa Snider:
That's awesome.
Rachel Cunningham:
I can recall, I think it was two years ago, that some cats were brought to the event to be adopted. And there were two of them, then they were adopted. I'm a huge cat person, so my heart was warmed by that because I know there are so many cats out there up for adoption. I was glad those two had found their forever home.
Cathy Becker:
That is the best. We've had the dogs adopted too, out of WILD. I think the funniest thing to see is when the fishman, he'll usually bring a gecko or a bearded dragon, a snake and some fish. And people react to snakes.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes, last year we had a snake, yes.
Cathy Becker:
Some of them won't go anywhere near that tent.
Melissa Snider:
I bet.
Cathy Becker:
And the kids are fascinated, though.
Rachel Cunningham:
And some of them braved up those that were very leery of the snake. You know, it took them the entire afternoon to finally go up and just maybe touch with a finger and say, I did it.
Melissa Snider:
How does caring for animals connect with the values you teach students at St. Agnes.
Rachel Cunningham:
Well, caring for them, obviously, you know, so many of the kids have animals that they do bring and They are part of their families and we try and get across to them that they are part of our family. So anyone that is there, anyone that is taking part in this, you treat them the same way that you would treat your own family. And they do show that during the whole event. They obviously go up to other animals. They're curious, they want to see, but yet they're very respectful. Like, yes, this is a member of the family. We treat them with respect.
Cathy Becker:
Manners, definitely, but also a bridge builder. The kids that maybe are a little in their around the animals, they're a little more relaxed. And they have something in common with somebody else, a kid that they might not have known or a family before. They can now see, what, they've got a whatever too, or it's different than mine. And I just want to talk about it. They kind of bond that way.
Melissa Snider:
Yeah, it's a bonding.
Cathy Becker:
They do.
Rachel Cunningham:
And you know, we've heard, I've heard conversations at school after the whole event too, saying, oh, I didn't know you had such and such kind of dog or this color cat at home. And they do as Kathy said, they have something to bond over. They may not have been very close friends with each other, but they have something to talk about now.
Cathy Becker:
It's a great way for us to remind the children, our families, actually everyone, that care of creation is one of the foundational tenets of our faith. It's part of our Catholic social teaching. We have documents and new information about how connected to the earth we are and how we must be good stewards. It's a great day for us to rejoice in the gifts God has given us. And remember that we have to be stewards.
Melissa Snider:
Is there a special prayer or a particular blessing that is used during the ceremony?
Cathy Becker:
Well, yes, out of our big book of blessings in the Catholic tradition, there is a formula. And depending on the weather and the critters, It might be abbreviated, but it usually includes a scripture reading from Genesis, the creation and the care of animals and all creation, and then a blessing for health and well-being and comfort. for the animals and then they're sprinkled with holy water. I don't know what happens to fish when they get extra holy water.
Rachel Cunningham:
I'm not sure. They just get a little extra in there to swim in.
Cathy Becker:
I'm not sure of the scientific and spiritual theological nature of that water is. But I've ordered this year some little St. Francis medals that can go on their pet's collar. And so everybody gets one of those.
Melissa Snider:
Can't go wrong with that. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes, we have going on currently at St. Agnes School in the parish, it's called the Spooktacular Cash Raffle. So winner could win up to $20,000. Yes, it's quite a big thing. This is our third raffle that we've done in three years. It's been very successful. Currently our goal is to sell $100,000 worth of tickets. Right now we're almost at that $40,000 mark. We are selling our tickets in our school building and also in our church directly after all of our weekend masses. There are some lovely folks there to help people out to purchase those tickets. Our families are doing a great job of selling tickets also. They do have a direct link to e-mail out to other family members and friends and colleagues. So it's a very simple process. You can click on that link in order to purchase a ticket. We have until October 24th to sell those tickets too. So it's a Saturday. We'll do the drawing directly after our 4:30 Mass. It'll take place at about 6.15 in the evening, along with our trunk or treat event that we have for our school and our parishioners. So if you think you might be lucky, come on out and buy a ticket. We've got an early bird drawing too on October the 4th coming up for a chance to win $500 also.
Cathy Becker:
Are we doing that drawing at the blessing of the animals?
Rachel Cunningham:
Yes, we are.
Cathy Becker:
So not that you have to be present, but hey.
Rachel Cunningham:
Tickets will be on sale that day. Again, you have a chance to win $20,000, which who wouldn't enjoy winning $20,000? We have a second prize of $1,500 and 10 $100 prizes also. So many chances to put a little extra cash in your pocket. So come on over, come to the blessing of the pets, purchase a raffle ticket or two or three or four. If you buy four, you get one free. So more chances to win.
Cathy Becker:
And if you don't know someone from St. Agnes and you want to buy tickets, you can go to the St. Agnes Parish website. And you'll find the link there because it's all online purchasing for the tickets and then they're emailed to you directly. So you have your ticket numbers.
Melissa Snider:
That sounds good. So let's go over the event one more time. October 4th.
Rachel Cunningham:
Correct. Sunday afternoon starting at 12, ending at 2 p.m. The blessing of the animals itself will take place at 1 p.m.
Melissa Snider:
Awesome. And we have vendors, animal resources.
Cathy Becker:
Local veterinarians, adoption agencies will be selling hot dogs and brats and chips and snow cones and drinks and shady tents, nice big tree. Have a lovely afternoon with us.
Melissa Snider:
All right, we'll gather your pets and head on over October 4th.
Rachel Cunningham:
Yep, we hope to see you at St. Agnes that afternoon.
Melissa Snider:
Awesome. Once again, I'm your co-host, Melissa Snider, in the studio with Rachel Cunningham and Cathy Becker. Thank you ladies so much.
Rachel Cunningham:
Thank you.
Melissa Snider:
Thanks.
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