Below you will find multi-faith prayers for our companions and those who care for them. If you have a prayer you would like to share, please email it to petprayer@animalsatheart.org.

General Prayers

Prayers for the Sick

Prayers for the Lost/Missing

Prayers for the Deceased

Pope John Paul II: 'animals possess a soul'

~~General Prayers ~~

Dear God, you have given us care over all living things; protect and bless the animals who give us companionship and delight, make us their true friends and worthy companions. Amen.

Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen. --Franciscan prayer

Dear God, protect and bless all beings that breathe, keep all evil from them, and let them sleep in peace. Amen.
--Albert Schweitzer, "Memoirs of Childhood and Youth"

[Name of pet], may you be blessed in the name of the Holy One who created you, and may you and [name of person] enjoy life together and care for one another in peace.

~~Prayers for the Sick~~

Healing and transforming God, your love knows no boundaries, and in your sight every life is precious; look with compassion on [name of animal], and make us your agents of healing in a broken world. Amen.

May God, who heals the sick, defends the vulnerable, cares for the poor, and liberates all creation from suffering and injustice, bring us all to that peaceable kingdom when all creatures shall live in harmony and all suffering shall be transformed into joy. Amen.

God of the universe, be present with this your creature. Bless [name of pet] and [name of human companion] who cares for him/her, now and always. Amen.

~~ Prayers for the Deceased~~

Eternal Spirit, we bring you our grief in the loss of [name of pet] and ask for courage to bear it. We bring you our thanks for [name of pet] who lived among us and gave us freely of his/her love. We commit our friend and companion [name of pet] into your loving hands. Give us eyes to see how your love embraces all creatures and every living thing speaks to us of your love. Amen.

Pope John Paul II: 'animals possess a soul'

When Pope John Paul II declared in a public audience in 1990 that 'also the animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity with our smaller brethren' some people must have thought this was a new teaching, unaware of the Holy Father's scholarly familiarity with the authentic Hebrew texts. When he went on to state that all animals are 'fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and merit respect' and that they are 'as near to God as men are', animal lovers in the audience were ecstatic! The Pope mentions the special relationship of mankind with God as being created in His image and likeness. 'However,' he goes on 'other texts state that animals have the breath of life and were given it by God. In this respect, man, created by the hand of God, is identical with all other living creatures. And so in Psalm 104 there is no distinction between man and beasts when it reads, addressing God: "  Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." The existence therefore,' the Holy Father reminds us, 'of all living creatures depends on the living spirit/breath of God that not only creates but also sustains and renews the face of the earth.'

This discourse caused a stir around the world, and was especially encouraging to Catholic animal welfare groups which had begun to despair that anything 'animal friendly' would ever be heard in Rome. The then professor of theology and dogma at the University of Urbino, Carlo Molari, called it 'very important and significant. It is a "sign of the times" because it demonstrates the Church's desire and deep concern to clarify present confused thinking and attitudes towards the animal kingdom. There should be no need, but the Pontiff, in reiterating that animals came into being because of the direct action of the "breath" of God, wanted to say that also these creatures, as well as man, are possessed of the divine spark of life and that living quality that is the soul. And are therefore not inferior beings or only of a purely material reality.'

submitted by Prayer Network Member, excerpt from Animal Liberation Front