Photo by James Calder

Your cat may have clawed up the couch, or your dog might have pooped on the rug. But today you should bless their little animal souls—literally.

Today is the Catholic and Anglican/Episcopalian celebration of St. Francis of Assisi, and to commemorate the patron saint of animals and the environment a number of local churches are blessing household pets from cats and dogs to goldfish and guinea pigs. (Check out our pictures from the 2010 blessing.)

For the blessing, you can head down to the Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Roman Catholic Church (1357 East Capitol Street SE) today from 6-7:30 p.m. If that doesn’t work, the Washington National Cathedral will have a blessing Sunday at 2:30 p.m., as will McLean’s Trinity United Methodist Church (1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.) at 2:00 p.m. and Arlington’s St. George’s Episcopal Church (915 N. Oakland St.) at 4 p.m.

If you’re curious, this is the standard blessing: “Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”

But seriously, God alone won’t stop your dog from pooping where he shouldn’t.