POULSBO — The passages Saturday on the lawn of St. Olaf’s Catholic Church may have been taken from the books of “Matthew, Meow, Woof and John” and most of those in attendance at the special service wouldn’t have batted an eyelash — or even wagged a tail.

But the dogs, cats and even a guinea pig that gathered with their owners to celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi did seem extremely pleased to see others who enjoy the relationships between people and their pets.

“Today, brothers and sisters we ask for God’s special blessing on our animals and pets,” Father David Mayovsky told the group of 25 or so two-legged visitors.

“It’s just great that you brought your animals and pets to remember St. Francis, who loved not only all the creatures, but the people.”

The brief event featured singing and quotes from Genesis and a special holy water blessing for the animals — even the cats (who went miraculously unchased by the dogs) didn’t mind getting a little wet.