A special kind of church service is scheduled to be at St. Theodore Catholic Church next week.

At 2:30 p.m. Oct. 3 and at 1 p.m. Oct. 4 — during a custom that is conducted out of remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creations — people can come and have their pets blessed in the east parking lot of the church.

Oct. 4 is the feast day for St. Francis, who was the founder of the Franciscan Order and the patron saint of animals, birds and the environment. He always had birds flying about his town, and many credit him with starting the tradition of blessing animals.

It has become custom for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day.

The Rev. Jim Berning said people can bring any animals to the blessing; in fact, in the past he’s had an iguana and even a cow. In other parishes, he said, he’s had horses and donkeys brought in.

Last year, one young girl even brought in a stuffed pet.

But the event is not only for the blessing of the animals, Berning said. It’s also a time to see the companionship that many of these animals have with their owners.

Pets become integral parts in many families and have even been shown to provide physiological benefits and other positive effects to their owners.

Before the pet blessings started at St. Theodore a few years ago, they were held at Ascension Lutheran Church by the Rev. Richard Spande.

St. Francis preached of the responsibilities of all creatures to praise God and to be stewards over God’s creations.