Beginning in 2005, our church’s Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi was always one of the special events of the year. Because of COVID and a few other circumstances, that beloved tradition ended in 2019.

But on Sunday, Oct. 5, on a perfect autumn afternoon, the Blessings of the Animals was back on the church calendar, once again an opportunity for the church and community to come together to praise the companionship we share with our pets — our gifts from God.

Organized by the Revs. Gwenyth Arrison and Ruth Morrison, the blessing took place in our Chapel in the Woods and the turnout was beyond expectations. Participants came with 17 dogs and two guinea pigs and created a gathering with the unconditional loving of our pets.

One by one, people stepped forward to provide heartfelt testimonies of why each of their pets had become such a deep and caring part of their lives.

The owner of Piper talked about how his 10-year-old dog has spent many hours helping others in difficult times, especially when he sits on the hospital bed of someone with Stage 4 lung cancer and provides a comforting effect.

Larry Ducharme talked about his small dog Clifford, who is blind but has a personality the size of Montana.

Lily and Emmy talked about their guinea pigs, Betty and Percy, one being a biter and the other a drama queen.

The owner of River talked about her chocolate lab being so named because he is adventuresome and athletic and can’t be kept out of the river but otherwise is respectful and calm.

Gwyneth and Ruth visited each of the pets and provided personal blessings, a certificate of the blessing, and a dog treat.

While the blessings were taking place, our Music Director Faith York and some of the Peaks Island Ukes strummed soothing music that echoed through the trees and further established the chapel as a sacred place.

Among the scripture readings, Justin Amaroso, who teaches philosophy and is writing a book about Symbiosis, talked about the importance of living together and then read from Isaiah 11:6-9:

“The wolf will lie with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf, the lion, and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. A cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.”

All the pets in Chapel Woods on Sunday appeared to take that to heart.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made this afternoon possible — the Jamieson family for greeting, handing out bulletins, and signing blessing certificates, to Ruth for providing refreshments for both owners and pets, to David Rogers for providing a sound system, to Ken O’Quinn for leading a responsive prayer, to the Peak Island Ukes, and to Pastor Gwyneth for rekindling this special event.

Also thank you to everyone who brought dog and cat food as donations to the CEUMC Pet Blessing Box and also to the Animal Refuge League.

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