Paws, whiskers and eight legs: St. Mary’s blesses the animals

Photos by Linda Haas

Waltham residents lined up outside St. Mary Parish on Friday, Oct. 2, holding dogs, cats and even a tarantula named Lloyd, as the parish held its annual blessing of the animals.

The Rev. Michael Nolan blessed each animal as owners brought them forward on the lawn in front of the church. About three dozen people and their pets attended.

Lloyd, who belongs to Crystal Ravesi, arrived in a terrarium. The green bottle blue tarantula hid inside a tent of thickly woven silk – all ready for Halloween. “I fed him a juicy cricket right before the blessing otherwise he would have jumped on the holy water drops tripping his web,” said Ravesi. “He was even a good sport about kids tapping on the glass because he was busy stuffing his fangs.”

The animal blessing tradition honors St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century friar who is the Catholic patron saint of animals and the environment.

The service celebrates the companionship pets give people and recognizes humans’ responsibility to care for the Earth. Churches usually hold animal blessings around Oct. 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis.