PHOTOS: Animals blessed in St. Peter’s Square for feast of St. Anthony Abbot

Farmers and pet owners alike brought out their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. | Alan Koppschall/EWTN

Animal blessing St. Anthony Abbot Vatican

Farmers and pet owners alike brought out their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. | Credit: Alan Koppschall/EWTN

Animal blessing Vatican St. Anthony Abbot

Farmers and pet owners alike brought out their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. | Alan Koppschall/EWTN

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, individually greeted many of the animals after offering a blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. | Alan Koppschall/EWTN

By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Jan 17, 2023 / 12:20 pm

St. Peter’s Square was filled with horses, cows, donkeys, dogs, goats, geese, and rabbits on Tuesday for the feast of St. Anthony Abbot.

Farmers and pet owners alike brought their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on Jan. 17.

While many American Catholics associate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a blessing of animals, in Italy farmers traditionally celebrate the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, the patron saint of domestic animals.

Farmers and pet owners alike brought out their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. Alan Koppschall/EWTN

St. Anthony Abbot was a fourth-century hermit known for his asceticism and as a father of monasticism. His holy life in the Egyptian desert was recorded by St. Athanasius in “The Life of St. Antony.”

The annual Vatican tradition had been canceled for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmers and pet owners alike brought out their beloved animals to the Vatican for a special blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. Credit: Alan Koppschall/EWTN

Despite the cold and rainy weather, many people showed up to celebrate again with their furry friends.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, greeted many of the animals after offering the blessing.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, individually greeted many of the animals after offering a blessing on the feast of St. Anthony Abbot, Jan. 17, 2023. Alan Koppschall/EWTN

The cardinal kicked off the day’s celebration with a Mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where farmers brought up cheese, eggs, and other farm products as part of the offertory.

After Mass, a mounted police band led a parade of horses down the main street leading to Vatican City.

In his homily, Gambetti recalled how St. Anthony was sought after for his wisdom: “He said that in addition to Scripture, his book was Creation in which he read the thoughts of God.”

Acknowledging that farmers have faced difficulties this year with a rise in production costs linked to the energy crisis in Europe, Gambetti said that “the Lord never fails to provide his providential help.”

“The fruit of the earth that turns into good food that nourishes life is the caress of God,” the Italian cardinal said.

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.