Yesterday, the Vatican celebrated the feast day of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the church's patron saint of animals, by blessing the animals who came from far and wide to receive a papal blessing. 

Retuers.com is reporting that animals who received blessings included domestic animals (including dogs and cats) and farm animals (including cows, chickens and pigs) to celebrate the Anthony the Abbot, who died in the third century and was canonized shortly thereafter. 

In addition to the spiritual blessings, veterinarians from the AIA (the Italian animal breeders association) offered free veterinary services to the animals who came and needed it, but whose owners may have too poor to afford it otherwise.

The festivities took place in St. Peter's Square.

In addition, according to the Daily Mail, additional festivities were held across Europe for the animals, as well, most notably at San Anton's Church in Madrid. However, in the case of the celebration in Spain, the animals were told to wait in the manger (!!!) as the humans were treated to a Mass.

"The Vatican in Rome was filled as an array of animals queued in St Peter's Square to mark the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, the third-century holy man who is the Catholic Church's patron of animals -- a title shared with St Francis of Assisi," reports the Daily Mail.

According to Catholic tradition, the blessing of the animals usually takes place on Oct. 4, or another appropriate day. It isn't clear why the faithful chose Friday as an appropriate day, however, usually at these sorts of blessings a prayer to St. Francis of Assisi is offered. CatholicCulture.org offers the following as an appropriate prayer: "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 we thank God for letting us share the earth with all the creatures."

This definitely gives a whole new meaning to the term "the flock of God"!!