BLESSING THE ANIMALS; CHURCH MARKS FEAST DAY OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

Dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes mingled with goats and chickens at the third annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church on Saturday.

But no one animal caused as much stir in the gathered crowd as 2-year-old Topper the rabbit. The bunny carried in by its owner is an English lop, a breed of giant rabbit, and he weighed a whopping 13 pounds.

``I always thought it would be nice to have him blessed,'' said owner Suzanne Pani of Thousand Oaks, who held the limp rabbit like a baby in her arms, his long ears falling down past her waist.

She said she would have liked to have brought all of her animal brood that includes more than 20 dogs, horses and other rabbits, but she thought Topper would be the easiest to handle.

``He's a mama's boy,'' her husband, Tom Pani, teased. ``He goes everywhere with her, and she carries him around all day long.''

The Rev. Julia Christian, who donned a monk's robe to portray St. Francis in the ceremony, said people generally bring their animals for a blessing because they feel they are part of the family.

``We love them,'' she said, ``and they give us so much love back.''

The daylong event was held to celebrate the feast day of the church's namesake, the patron saint of charity, social justice and animals. The church also is expected to host a visit from the Rt. Rev. Frederick Borsch, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, during services today.

Legends abound about St. Francis' special rapport with animals, including a time he met a ravenous wolf on the road and he charmed the animal before it could attack.

The blessing and animal fair have grown in popularity among pet owners and among vendors and exhibitors over the years. Additions this year were young trainees from Guide Dogs of America, Animal Rescue volunteers, animals from the Moorpark Exotic Animals and a petting zoo.

Several members of the Simi Valley chapter of the 4-H Club also were on hand to have their show animals blessed and to spread the word about their organization.

Among the chickens, the guinea pigs and the mice was 1-year-old Petey, a rabbit who was there because his owner thought some divine intervention was needed in order for him to start winning at the Ventura County fair.

``He needs help,'' said his owner, Julianna Colwell, 11, of Simi Valley. ``He's overweight, and the only way he's going to win more ribbons is by losing weight. He's on a bunny diet now, and this (blessing) is just a tiny bit of help.''

While a number of those who attended the first of the two blessing ceremonies of the day said they'd been coming for several years, others said this was their first time.

Included among them were Karen Richardson and her 10-year-old golden retriever Punkin, who, although far from being a puppy and much too large to be a lap dog, still likes to climb on her owner's lap for a snooze and a cuddle.

``I've always wanted her to be blessed because she's such a blessing to me,'' said Richardson of Simi Valley. ``I want her to have good health and a long life. We've been together since she was a pup, and she's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me in the last 10 years.''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color in Conejo and Simi edition only) Suzanne Pani of Thousand Oaks holds Topper, her English lop bunny, to be blessed by the Rev. Julia Christian on Saturday.

(2 -- color -- ran in Conejo and Simi edition only) A 1-month-old rat named Molly and a hen named Snow White are among the birds and animals being blessed at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church on Saturday.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News