Blessing of Pets

by Bill Tobin 10/14/12

St. Mary's was the place to be on Sunday afternoon for the blessing of your pets...

Pets of all kinds came to be blessed like dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, horses, gerbils. a lizard  frogs and even a snail .

St. Mary's on Sunday October 14th invited all to bring in their pets, (leashed or caged) to participate in tne Blessing of Animals recognizing that animals created by God inhabit the skies, earth and the sea. They share in the fortunes of our existence and have a part in human life. The blessing of animals recognizes our human ties with our friends of other species.  
They have trust in us and we are on earth together to give one another friendship, affection and caring. The blessing asks God to give our animal companions long, joyful and healthy lives.

This year saw some unusual pets, like these  two year old Nigerian Dwarf goats, Georgia and Jedihah cared for by Paula Rivera and family.

Gary and Beth Scencio brought in their white faced Boston Terrier .

 Lucy the chicken ,under the care of Linda Scruton, awaits the blessing.

Ten year old Emma Harrington had her two frogs and hermit crab blessed.

The hall was filled with pets quietly, for the most part, patiently waiting for Fr. Mark to bless them personally.

Winston Breinlinger calmly awaits his blessing.

The dogs seemed to want to greet each other more than receive their blessing from Fr. Mark.

After blessing each pet, Fr Mark led all in the singing of the  appropriate hymn, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

After blessing all pets indoors, a donkey and pony got their blessings from Fr. Mark in the parking lot. These are the pets of the Scruton family, whose chicken was blessed earlier.

May the pets and their keepers have a healthy and pleasant year and return for the blessings next year.

Posted in Neighborhood.

Comment on this article | E-mail this article