Patron Saints of Animals and Pets
Russian villagers drove their cattle out to pasture for the first time on St George’s day in spring. Sts Florus and Laurus guard horses, St Mamas the shepherds and their flocks, and St Modestos the herds of Greece. St Tryphon, a goose-herd as a boy, is asked against pests in the fields. Greeks pray to St Phanourios when an animal goes missing. In the West, St Gertrude of Nivelles, a seventh-century abbess, has become the beloved patron of cats, a gentle modern custom our diptych carries. The Church has always prayed over the creatures in our care.
The saints the Church turns to
St George the Great Martyr
Patron of herdsmen and livestock, asked for the health and safety of animals and protection for the herds.
23 April (6 May on the Old Calendar).
St Gertrude of Nivelles
A saint of the undivided Church; “patron of cats” is a modern Western popular custom.
17 March (30 March on the Old Calendar).
St Tryphon the Martyr
Asked for the protection of fields and gardens and the deliverance of crops from insects.
1 February (14 February on the Old Calendar).
St Phanourios
Asked to find lost or stolen animals.
27 August (9 September on the Old Calendar).
In our shop
- St Tryphon icon (coming soon)
- St Phanourios icon (coming soon)
How Orthodox Christians pray for this
Farm families ask the priest to sprinkle the barn and the herds with holy water, and the Book of Needs has prayers for sick animals. At home, pet owners light a candle and pray simply for a sick or lost animal. In Russia, St George’s spring feast is still the day the herds are sprinkled with holy water as they go out to pasture.
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you — Consecration, $49.
Questions
Who is the patron saint of animals?
Catholics name St Francis of Assisi, a Western saint after the schism. Orthodox Christians pray to St George for herds and livestock, to Sts Florus and Laurus for horses, and to St Mamas and St Modestos for flocks.
Who is the patron saint of cats?
St Gertrude of Nivelles, by a modern Western custom that grew out of her old protection against rats and mice. She is a saint of the undivided Church, honored by Orthodox Christians in the West on 17 March.
Which saint do I pray to for a lost pet?
Greek Orthodox Christians pray to St Phanourios, who is asked to find lost animals.
