Dogs, cats, rabbits and birds will join parishioners at St. Joseph’s Cathedral next Sunday as the parish holds its Blessing of Pets for the second year running.
The blessing is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 4, near the parish’s main stage, according to an announcement posted on the cathedral’s official Facebook page. The parish invited families to bring their pets and join the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis.
The announcement came with images from last year’s edition, which the parish described as an afternoon that looked a little different from its usual gatherings, with pets and their owners taking part in the blessing together.
This year, the event falls on the feast day itself. The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi falls on Sunday, October 4, 2026, and St. Francis is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. Parishes bless animals around this date in remembrance of the saint’s love for all creatures, a devotion reflected in his Canticle of the Creatures, a hymn of praise for God’s living things. The feast also marks the close of the month-long Season of Creation, which begins on September 1.
St. Joseph’s is the seat of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, a post held by Bishop Paolo Martinelli since May 1, 2022. Built on land along the Corniche donated by then-ruler Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first church on the site was inaugurated on February 19, 1965, making it the oldest place of worship in Abu Dhabi.
The parish serves a large and diverse expatriate congregation, including a sizeable Filipino community. Masses are held in Arabic and in the languages of the country’s expatriate populations, among them English, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu and Tagalog.
