Blessing the Auggie animals

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“I know you’re not supposed to have favorite chapel services, but this one ranks up there,” University Pastor Babette Chatman said from the front of Hoversten Chapel, smiling at Augsburg community members and their pets.

Blessing of the Animals is an annual chapel service in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. In remembrance of his love for all sentient beings, individuals around the world bring their animal companions to church for a Blessing of the Animals for St. Francis Day on October 4. Augsburg Campus Ministry provided that same opportunity for Auggies on Friday, October 2. Some community members submitted photos of their pets that played on a slideshow throughout the service. Others brought their creatures to campus for an in-person blessing.

University Pastors John Schwehn and Chatman presented a litany interspersed with the audience singing “All God’s Creatures Got a Place in the Choir.” Schwehn then presented a sermon, sharing how a kitten found in his backyard last year became an integral part of their family. He described how everyone in that chapel was connected—not because they were all part of the Augsburg community, or because they were all Christian, or because they were all even the same species. He said all pets and people were connected because they were created by God in the image of love, as St. Francis deeply believed.

Chatman and Schwehn then traveled between rows of seats to greet every animal. They blessed them by placing their hands onto each furry creature and offering a benediction over them. For those who couldn’t bring their animals in person, they offered a blessing over a shared image.

The service ended with this closing prayer:

“Bless them who will never be entirely tamed and so remind us that you love what is wild, that you rejoice in what lives close to the earth, that your heart beats in the heart of these creatures you have entrusted to our care.”

2026 Blessing of the Animals

A church or chapel interior with a large pipe organ set into a red-brick wall. Three sections of tall silver organ pipes are visible above wooden panels, with the central section arranged in a peaked pattern. In the foreground, a man wearing glasses and a maroon sweatshirt stands behind a wooden lectern and raises one hand. The lectern is draped with a green cloth decorated with red, yellow, blue, and white curved stripes. To his left, a woman in a matching maroon top holds an open book or binder. Wooden steps, railings, candle stands, a potted plant, and tiled flooring surround them.

A group of people sits in rows of wooden chairs inside a brick-walled room. In the foreground, several attendees are seen from behind, while others face toward the left side of the room. Near the center, a person holds a small black-and-gray cat, and another attendee holds a small white-and-brown dog. A person near the center wears a purple shirt with a white clerical collar. Additional attendees sit along the back row, and several empty chairs are visible on the left. The room has warm wood flooring, tan upholstered chair seats, and reddish-brown brick walls.

A small white dog with gray markings on its ears and around its eyes stands in the foreground, facing the camera. The dog wears a red harness and black collar, with a leash extending to the left. Behind it, people sit on wooden chairs in an indoor waiting area. The floor is covered with tan tiles arranged in a rectangular brick pattern.

A group of people gathers in a brick-walled indoor space with a raised wooden platform, rows of wooden chairs, and a black grand piano. In the foreground, a man wearing a burgundy hoodie leans toward a seated student and gestures toward a gray cat they are holding. The cat wears a yellow harness and looks toward the man. The student wears a dark shirt and burgundy pants with white lettering. Several people sit or stand in the background near additional chairs. The floor is covered with light-colored rectangular tiles, and potted plants, candles, doors, and accessibility railings are visible around the room.

A group of people sits in rows of wooden chairs inside a brick-and-wood building. In the foreground, a small white-and-tan dog wearing a red harness stands between the chairs while a kneeling man in a maroon shirt pets it. A seated staff member and a smiling individual with glasses are nearby. Additional attendees, some holding papers, fill the background. The room has a tan tiled floor, brick walls, wood-paneled sections, and large wooden columns.

A person wearing glasses and a dark shirt sits on a wooden chair while holding a gray cat. The person is looking down toward the cat, which wears a bright orange harness and a dark collar with hanging tags. The scene appears to be indoors, with rows of wooden chairs, a brick wall, tiled flooring, and blurred people and furnishings in the background. Warm lighting and shallow focus emphasize the person and cat in the foreground.

Two adults sit in wooden armchairs in an indoor waiting area while interacting with a light-colored dog in the foreground. The person on the left wears glasses and a burgundy hoodie labeled “A Advisor,” holds a sheet of paper, and reaches toward the dog. The person on the right wears a bright blue jacket and smiles while looking down at the dog. The dog wears a blue-purple collar or harness and faces away from the camera. Behind them are wood-paneled walls, a brick section, and a tan tiled floor.

A group of people gathers in a brick-walled room with wooden columns and rows of chairs. In the foreground, a seated person wearing glasses and a gray shirt holds a small, fluffy cream-colored dog with a blue harness. A person with long gray braids, glasses, and a burgundy shirt leans toward them while looking at the dog. Papers and an open binder rest between them. Several people sit and talk in the background.

A close-up indoor scene shows two people interacting with a dark-coated service dog wearing a bright yellow harness. On the left, a person with dark hair tied back and glasses holds the dog and looks toward it. On the right, a person with long gray braids, glasses, and a burgundy top leans toward the dog and reaches out to touch it. Other people are visible in the background near wooden doors and brick walls.

A group of adults gathers in a large indoor room with exposed reddish-brown brick walls, light wood paneling, and rows of wooden chairs. Some people are seated while others stand, talk, or move between the chairs. A seated person near the left wears a purple clerical shirt with a white collar. Near the center, one person holds papers, and another adjusts their hair. A camera on a tripod stands among the chairs on the right. The tiled floor, wood-paneled doors, electrical outlets, and a small red wall fixture are visible in the background. Several people in the foreground are seen from behind, including individuals wearing bright pink and magenta clothing.

Photos by Douachee Lee and Darcia Cole

2026 Blessing of the Animals

Augsburg University 2026 Christensen Symposium connects story and action