Paws and prayers: Church of the Assumption blesses man’s best friends

by Adriana Gasiewski

A crowd of about 30 pet owners and their dogs and cats gathered outside the Church of the Assumption Oct. 4 as the Rev. Finbar Ramsak doused holy water onto their four-legged friends and read aloud a prayer, recognizing them as a part of God’s creation.

“It’s just a great opportunity to recognize those different ways that we are able to care for all of those aspects of life,” Ramsak said of the parish’s annual Pet Blessing and Pet Fair.

Keeping in line with the church’s traditions, Ramsak recited two prayers for the pet blessings – a shorter prayer at the 1:30 p.m. service and the longer one at 3:30 p.m.

The church has always intentionally planned the event to occur close to St. Francis of Assisi’s feast day. This year’s program fell on the feast day, making it extra special, Ramsak said.

St. Francis earned the title of patron saint of animals because of his view on humans’ relationships with the rest of creation, Ramsak explained.

“There was this emphasis in terms of seeing all as brothers and sisters with God, including creation so that was animals as well,” he said.

Practicing St. Francis’ beliefs, Bridget Lysobeyn chose to have her pets, Gray Cat and Chief, blessed.

“I feel like God blessed me with them, because I always wanted pets that I really like to go out and do things with,” Lysobeyn said. “So, I want to show my appreciation to God and get them blessed so that they can stay with me for a long time.”

Although cats prefer to avoid water, Gray Cat didn’t mind the holy water, allowing the process of blessing her, as well as Chief, to be an easy one.

Being a close friend of Ramsak, Holly Schornik of Strongsville said she couldn’t pass up the prospect of her pup Bomber receiving a blessing from him.

“Bomber is a part of the family, even though he’s a dog. Everyone in our house gets a blessing,” she said.

Because Patricia Petkoff volunteers time at the church often, she wanted to ensure that her dog, Tessa, received a blessing.

“She’s really a very good-natured dog and any blessing certainly helps,” she said. “Then you get to socialize with people that maybe you might see sometimes at church, but you don’t always get to talk to.”

Although the event helped furry friends socialize with one another, Petkoff was hesitant to bring her other dog – a lab mix – because she is highly reactive. Instead, she returned with the dog for the later blessing where Ramsak could bless her privately.

In addition to the blessing, pet owners could shop from local vendors, pose with their four-legged friends for a photo, enter raffles or take part in games.

The annual festivities not only encouraged the church to follow St. Francis’ teachings but also gave the congregants a chance to strengthen their relationship with their pets.

“This is a great church. Even though some people underestimate [animals], they’re such an important part of life,” Lysobeyn said. “God definitely gave them to us for a very important reason.”