In October, some owners of horses boarded at Gemini Performance Horses, in Parrish, Florida, asked Father Jim Cogan to bless their new barn, the horses that reside there, and the staff that looks after the animals. Cogan walked through the barn blessing each stall, each rider, Gemini’s operator, and even the man who built the barn. Then he offered a blessing for the riding arena and walked between the paddocks, offering a prayer at each one.

For Cogan, the ritual is familiar. Just a week prior, people from his parish brought their pets to the church’s annual Blessing of the Animals, which he believes is fundamental to the animals’ care.

“After all, it’s about the animals’ welfare,” Cogan said.

The connection between animal welfare and faith communities has very deep roots, said animal welfare advocate Sister Lucille Thibodeau, PM, PhD. She said some figures traditionally viewed in a nonreligious light, such as ancient philosopher Pythagoras, were the first Western world thinkers to suggest that humans had a duty to be kind to animals. Later, the Hebrew Bible urged kindness toward animals and Christians such as St. Francis of Assisi, now almost universally recognized as the Patron Saint of Animals, carried that concept even further