St. Mark's Episcopal celebrates blessing of animals

"Bless the beasts and the children,

For in this world they have no voice,

They have no choice -

- Light their way, when the darkness surrounds them

Give them love. Let it shine all around them."

- Carpenters song, early 1970s

I don't know about blessing the children, but the animals will be covered Oct. 5, during the second annual Blessing of the Animals.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi - patron saint of animals - with a nondenominational Blessing of the Animals at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5 on the lawn of the old Kane County Courthouse in downtown Geneva.

Each pet, be it horse, dog, cat or even snakes (in a cage, please!) will receive an individual blessing, a pet treat and even a Beanie Baby.

The saint's feast day is Oct. 4, so organizers Bob and Joyce Langeness picked the closest Sunday for the event.

The church previously held animal blessing ceremonies, but attendance and interest had dwindled over the years, said Bob Langeness.

"We wanted to bring it back, to have a community event for anyone who wanted to have their animals blessed," he said. He and Joyce are animal lovers themselves, naturally.

Last year's ceremony drew about 100 animals and their owners. "We even had a horse," said Langeness. And if the weather holds, he said, "hopefully we'll have a really good turnout."

The service will include the singing of two songs, a short service and the individual blessings.

Many children, of course, accompanied the animals last year. "It's sort of a remembrance of the blessing given at their baptism," Langeness explained.

The horse (it's the animal that provides the locomotion for the carriage for the Chamber of Commerce carriage rides through town) will be back. Bob and Joyce will be there, of course, with their beloved Doberman, Meah. With them will be, they hope, a large assortment of other pets, from rabbits to lizards and any other animal loved by a human.

"It's a wonderful outreach to the animals and to the community," Langeness said. A number of organizations and individuals are contributing to the event, including New Vision Print and Marketing of Batavia, the Geneva Republican, St. Charles Veterinary Clinic and The Pure Gardener of Geneva, which is providing flowers. Katie Valencia, who owned the now-closed Cats and Dogs store in downtown Geneva, is donating homemade animal treats. Anonymous donors contributed the poster design and the Beanie Babies.

The event is open to those of any and all faiths.

"The only requirement is unconditional love for your animal," said Langeness.