MONUMENT — Fourth grader Ben Jones deftly balanced holding his new frog, Billy, with leashing up two wiggly Guinea pigs he shares with his siblings, who had not arrived yet for this year’s Blessing of the Pets Friday afternoon at St. Peter’s Church in Monument.

“It makes them a bit happier to be blessed by the priest and by God,” Ben explained. “It’s like helping the pets — we’re blessing them for good health and a long life.”

About 100 children and adults gathered outside the church to have their pets blessed in a traditional ceremony that some Catholic and mainline Protestant churches conduct in early October, near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Italian friar who started the order of Franciscans in 1209 died close to midnight on Oct. 3, 1226, but his feast day is recognized as Oct. 4.

This year many area churches are holding pet blessings on Saturday.

“It’s definitely a popular event,” said Karen Shannahan, principal of St. Peter Catholic School, which is adjacent to the church and collaborates on the annual event.

St. Francis is remembered for his generosity to the poor, his willingness to minister to lepers and most widely recognized for his love for animals and nature. He’s known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

“He had a special affinity for lambs and even the worms,” Shannahan said.

Two legends prevail, she said: That St. Francis ran at a flock of birds, but they did not move, so he delivered a sermon to the birds, then told them to fly away. And they did.

The second legend from the 13th century holds that St. Francis befriended the wolf of Gubbio, who was terrorizing the Italian town, devouring other animals and villagers. But St. Francis, acting on behalf of God, tamed the wolf so that the animal stopped scaring people and instead became a friend.

“It’s all about people befriending animals and teaching everyone we are to take care of our animals,” Shannahan said.

The Catholic Church recognized from the beginning that God established animals as part of his creation that would interact with humans and have significant roles in sustaining humanity, said Deacon Clarence Johnson, who serves at St. Peter Church.

“So, their companionship is very important to God’s design,” he said. “Today we celebrate the memory of St. Francis of Assisi, who’s known throughout the world for his love of animals and nature, and it’s fitting we conduct this blessing as a memorial.”

Owners of creatures large and small, from dogs, cats, rabbits and small mammals to reptiles, birds and amphibians, all were prayed over and sprinkled with holy water; choruses of barks and meows notwithstanding.

“We all love our pets — they’re like family — and it’s fun to come and have them blessed,” said Vera Schumaker, a 30-year parishioner of St. Peter’s, who pushed 9-year-old Lucky, her Birman cat, in a covered caddy.

And that age-old question presented centuries ago and today in pop culture and around dinner tables of whether animals have souls and possibly go to heaven remains a mystery, said Joanna Anaradian, who offered her 10-year-old cat, Slate, for a blessing.

“Everything in God’s creation has purpose, and so do the animals,” she said. “All reflects God’s love and care for us. This blessing means God will keep Slate healthy and watch over him, and he will continue to be the caring and longtime friend that I have.”

During the prayer service, the Rev. Anil Jacob D’sa, associate pastor, said pets and other animals are a “symbolic reminder of the gifts of creation,” from the fish that swallowed Jonah to other Biblical creatures. He asked for God’s protection over the animals, then mingled with the crowd, petting critters and mugging for the many cameras that were also present.