All God's Creatures

By Betty Orosz, Guest Services

Posted on 5/23/2017

We are blessed here at Mercy by the Sea with furry, feathered neighbors like Ralphie, the groundhog; a shy fox; chipmunks; an occasional skunk; and a bevy of sparrows, nuthatches, sea gulls, ospreys, crows, and Harriet, our resident hawk. This year, there’s a special event happening just outside our office windows.

I first noticed a robin spending a lot of time pecking at the ground near a bush not 35 feet from my office. Then I kept seeing her flying into the bush with a twig or piece of dried grass in her beak. Intrigued, I investigated and found a nest in progress. I went out with a co-worker a couple weeks later and there she was, nestled on her collection of twigs and what looked like mud holding them together.

In talking with my co-workers about the robin, we came up with an idea. Each week, we start our staff meeting with a prayer. Why not bless the new soon-to-be mom (It was two days after Mother’s Day) and, by proxy, all the creatures that live on Mercy by the Sea’s grounds?

So, at the start of the next meeting, I described the situation to my co-workers and asked them to follow me outside. We walked slowly, quietly gathering in a semi-circle around the bush, far enough away so as not to spook mom. Then holding out our open palms to the bush, we blessed the nest and prayed:

“The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth and the sea. They share in the ways of human beings. They have a part in our lives. Francis of Assisi recognized this when he called the animals, wild and tame, his brothers and sisters. Remembering Francis’ love for these brothers and sisters of ours, we invoke God’s blessing on these animals (and birds) and all living things, and we thank you God for letting us share the earth with all that you created.”*

Mama robin is still hard at work brooding over her eggs, occasionally venturing out to scare away a bird or fly off, perhaps for something to eat. We continue to watch and pray for this little family because we read on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website that only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young.

Still, no matter what happens, we’re grateful every single day to bear witness to the unending circle of life and the abundant creation that surrounds us. We are truly blessed.

*This prayer was adapted from “Catholic Prayer: Saint Francis and the Blessing of Animals” on
CatholicCulture.org