Wake Forest pets receive drive-thru blessings at St. John's Episcopal Church

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- Worshippers at St. John's Episcopal Church in Wake Forest celebrated the feast of St. Francis Assisi with a blessing of the animals.

"He preached to the birds. He preached to squirrels. He was a little bit crazy, but that came actually from a very profound place of loving all of what God has made and blessing it," said Reverend Sarah Phelps.

From cats and dogs to a memorial prayer for a hissing cockroach, every animal brought to the church received blessing.

"It may sound silly and superficial, but it does it bring a lot of joy. There's a lot of laughter, but it actually is very profound thing to recognize that all features of the creatures that God has made are holy and sacred creatures."

Typically, the annual event has those attendance gather under a shady tree. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, worshippers participated in a drive-thru.