Prayers & Liturgies for Animals


Prayers and Thanksgivings
Prayers for Lost Pets
Prayer for Pets who have Died
Liturgy for a New Pet
Liturgy for Sick Animals
Liturgy for a Dead or Dying Pet
Sources



Prayers and Thanksgivings

O God, we thank you for making the animals to brighten our lives. Help us to save them
from danger as Noah did. Help us to love them and care for them as St. Francis did. And
when we see the animals that you have made, help us to remember that you are holy and
worthy of praise. In the name of the Father (who thought up the giraffe and the zebra)
and of the Son (who was named after the beautiful white Lamb) and the Holy Spirit (who
came to us as a Dove. Amen.

O God, who has made all the earth and every creature that dwells therein: Help us, we
pray you, to treat with compassion the living creatures entrusted to our care, that they
may not suffer from our neglect nor become the victims of any cruelty; and grant that in
caring for them we may find a deeper understanding of your love for all creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the
richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of
flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our
posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your
abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature:
Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the
account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen.

O God, who made everything good, teach us to love what you have made. Help us to see
you in the stars and planets, the trees and flowers, the rocks and the rivers, and
especially in these pets of ours you have entrusted to our care. How great is your name,
O Lord our God, through all the earth. Amen.

God of manifold blessings, source of all that is good and true and holy, raise us up to see
the world through your eyes so that we may treasure each blessed creature alive with
your Spirit and touched by your creative hand; and may the blessing of this wonderful
God Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier be upon us now and forever. Amen.
 
Lord God, you have made all living things, and you are even more wonderful than the
things you have made. We thank you for giving us our pets who are our friends and who
give us so much joy in life. We cherish the pets we have now, and we remember the pets
we have loved and lost. May we always be reminded of the joy they have given to us. May
we likewise, realize that as our pets trust us to take care of them, so we should trust you
to take care of us, and in our taking care of them we share in your love for all your
creatures. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers for Lost Pets

Blessed are you, Lord God, for all living creatures you have made. You keep them in your
care and not one of them is lost without you knowing. They glorify you, each in its own
way, and speak to us of your beauty and love. Bless them and keep them from harm.
They unquestionably accept their place in the rhythm of your creation. May we respect
them and cherish them for they are your gift to us; through them may we come to know
you better and praise you, their Creator. Blessed be the love and joy that they bring to
us. Amen.

Holy God, we pray for N. who is lost. Guard him/her from all fear and bring him/her in
safety to this day’s end, whether it be with his/her family on earth, or in heaven. Grant
peace and comfort to his/her human family as they face the unknown in the days ahead.
Amen.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your
angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your
love’s sake. Amen.

Prayer for Pets who have Died

O God, you are infinite, unbounded Love, and will not allow the love which exists
between your creatures to perish: We pray for those animals who have died.
Comfort all those who mourn, especially those who have lost a beloved pet. Amen.
 
Liturgy for a New Pet

Leader  The Spirit of the Lord is with us.
All          And with all creation.
Leader   Let us praise our Creator.
All          And give thanks for the wonderful earth.
Leader   Let us sing a song of praise with the whole creation.
All          Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

A Reading from Hosea (2:18)
And I will make for you a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of
the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and
war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety.
               The Word of the Lord.
All          Thanks be to God.

The leader continues
All living creatures you have put under our protection and we are to care for them as you
care for us.

Mindful of the great responsibility you have placed upon us, we now renew our covenant
with these creatures in our care, and pray that we may be faithful to them as you are
faithful to us.

May the unity of peace which you have established between all species never be broken
by our violence, and may our lives reflect that generosity of spirit which we see manifest
in your Son, Jesus Christ.

God of unity and peace, send us now your Holy Spirit that we may feel a deeper kinship
with all living creatures and by this act of renewal reaffirm the bond of covenant with all
animals in our care.

Leader            Will you name this creature?
Respondent   (The name of the animal is given.)
Leader            Will you care for N. as God’s own creature?
All                    I will with God’s grace.
Leader            Will you be mindful of N.’s Christ-like vulnerability?
All                    I will with God’s grace.
Leader            Will you love and protect N. so long as he/she lives?
All                   I will with God’s grace.
Leader           Will you be faithful and kind in good times and bad?
All                   I will with God’s grace.

The family is invited to touch/pat/stroke the animal as a sign of the covenant
reaffirmed between them.

Leader            May the God of the new covenant of Jesus Christ grant us grace to fulfill
our promise and to show mercy to other creatures as God has shown mercy to us.Amen.
 
Liturgy for Sick Animals

Leader      The Spirit of the Lord is with us.
All              And with all creation.
Leader      Let us praise our Creator.
All             And give thanks for the wonderful earth.
Leader      Let us sing a song of praise with the whole creation.
All              Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Leader We have come together to proclaim the work of Christ our liberator: the
very agent of God who abolishes death, heals the sick, identifies with the outcast, defends
the vulnerable, cares for the poor, frees us from evil, and inaugurates a kingdom of peace
and justice for all creatures.

We praise you who liberates us and all creation from suffering and injustice. As Christ
cared for the human poor and despised, so we must care for those in our power [and
especially our fellow creatures abused and tortured in our midst.] Especially we pray
for these innocent animals who suffer through no fault of their own and for whom Christ
also died.

Leader     Christ the healer
All             liberate you from pain.
Leader     Christ the redeemer
All             restore you to health.
Leader     Christ the new creature
All             make you whole.

The leader continues
May the Lord give us courage to defend the weak and the vulnerable, and make us strong
in mercy and generosity to advance God’s justice until the end of our tme on earth.
Amen.
 
Liturgy for a Dead or Dying Pet

Leader     Let us sing to the Lord a new song;
All            a song for all the creatures of the earth.
Leader     Let us rejoice in the goodness of God
All            shown in the beauty of all things.

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans (8:18-21)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of
the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by
the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from
its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

A Reading from the Revelation to John (Rev. 21:1, 4-5a, 6)
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away. And he shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
                  The Word of the Lord
All              Thanks be to God.

Let us pray.
This we know: every living thing is yours and returns to you. As we ponder this mystery
we give you thanks for the life of N. and we now commit him/her into your loving
hands. Gentle God: fragile is your world, delicate are your creatures, and costly is your
love which bears and redeems us all.

Holy Creator, give us eyes to see and ears to hear how every living thing speaks to us of
your love. Let us be awestruck at your creation and daily sing your praises. Especially,
create within us a spirit of gratitude for the life of this beloved pet who has lived among
us and given us freely of his/her love. Even in our sorrow we have cause for joy for we
know that all creatures who died on earth shall live again in your new creation. Amen.


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Sources:
Animal Rites: Liturgies of Animal Care, by Andrew Linzey, The Pilgrim Press,
Cleveland, Ohio, 0-8298-1451-5.
The Book of Common Prayer, Church Publishing, New York, New York.
The Scriptorium Holy Cards and Greeting Cards, All Saints’ Convent, Catonsville,
Maryland.
Apologies to Unknown Sources for prayers gathered from various church’s liturgies for
The Blessing of the Animals.