At St. Paul Catholic Church, the St. Francis of Assisi Pet Ministry aims to support those who are suffering the loss of a pet or other hardship. Even more than that, they are trying to foster a love for all of God’s creatures. 

“We offer comfort, support, and prayers for sick pets, lost pets, pet rescues, but we are also trying to increase the devotion to St. Francis of Assisi in our parish. This saint promoted peace and he is the patron saint of the environment because he loved all of God’s creation,” said Tina Bubb, parishioner at St. Paul and co-founder of the Pet Ministry. 

“When we started, we wanted to promote compassion for all God’s creatures and to encourage pet owners with love, and to support them with prayer and action,” Tina continued.

The ministry has grown since its establishment with 12 members to over 40 members, ranging in ages from five to 80 years old. The ministry meets twice a month and they host four events a year: the annual Pet Owners' Mass of Remembrance, the Blessing of the Animals, (that will be held on October 2nd,) and two prayer services. The ministry has also evolved since its inception.

“One of the neat things about this ministry is how it continues to evolve. St. Francis was so much more than a man who loved God’s creation. He had a great devotion to the mystery of the crucified Lord, bearing the wounds of Christ on his body, a deep love for the Incarnation, creating the first Christmas Creche, a profound passion for the Church, the Bride of Christ, and a wonderful affinity for ‘Lady Poverty’ and to serve those who are most in need. The ministry is growing ever more aware of the great spirituality of St. Francis,” said Father Bill Swengross, pastor, St. Paul Parish.

Father Bob Romaine is the founder of the St. Francis of Assisi Pet Ministry at St. Paul, and in Tina’s experience, he was a huge reason she continues to be a part of the ministry. 

“Father Bob has such a great love for all of God’s creatures. In October of 2019, I learned that my Greyhound Paul had bone cancer. In March of 2020, I lost him. Father Bob was very supportive. When my Paul was having surgery, it happened to be the week of the priest’s convocation in the diocese, and Father Bob told me he would meet me at the vet before Paul’s surgery to pray with me. I said, ‘but you have convocation,’ and he said, ‘yes, but I can get there before the surgery and still get to convocation afterwards,’” explained Tina.

She continued by saying that “We’ve learned a lot from Father Bob about compassion. And that’s what we all want to do to support people in those situations.”

According to Charles Yezak, Jr., Director of Communications at St. Paul, “the initial intent of the ministry was to host a Mass for those who had lost a pet. Our first Mass was held on Friday, July 27, 2018. After the first Mass, many parishioners began to seek out support for their pets who were ill or recently deceased.”

If you’d like to learn more about this ministry, please click on this link.