OXFORD — The afternoon service at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday produced a few scuffles, lots of sniffing and frequent outbreaks of joyful noise.

        That's because most of the participants were four-footed and furry. They were brought to the church lawn by their human companions for a Blessing of the Beasts service.

        “We hold the blessing on an annual basis, on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St. Francis,” explained the Rev. Grant Barber, rector of Holy Trinity.

        St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, is commemorated Oct. 4. The Right Rev. Herbert Thompson, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, was on hand to greet and pray over the numerous dogs, cats and rodents.

        Punctuated by occasional barking and plaintive mewing, the brief service consisted of a psalm, a hymn and a reading from the creation story in the book of Genesis. Afterward, Bishop Thompson blessed each animal in turn.

        The smallest creature present was Apple Blossom, a white rat belonging to Laura Harlan, 6.

        “She's not quite a year old, so this is her first blessing,” said Laura's mother, Susan Fortney-Harlan. “We also brought our cat, Boo, and our dog, Eli. Apple Blossom has been known to take a ride on the dog's back.”

        Blessed in absentia was the event's largest animal. Idjie, a husky-Rottweiler mix puppy, got too frisky and was taken home early.

        “This is the first blessing I've done since coming to Ohio as bishop,” Bishop Thompson said. “I did this when I was a parish priest in New York. The animals were well-behaved, except for our springer spaniel, who tried to break up the party.”

        Mr. Barber said that many in the congregation would reconvene in the evening at the horse farm of parishioners for a blessing of large animals.

        “The event at the farm brings together our church community with the horse-owning community in thanksgiving for these lovely animals,” he said.

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