The Blessing of the Animals at our outdoor service on June 23 is inspired by the life of St. Francis of Assisi, the 12th-century friar who loved creatures of every kind and became the patron saint of animals.
The Reverend Annalee will bless the family pets in attendance at our service as part of Creation Sunday. The outdoor service is held on the south lawn in the shade of the memorial trees, with the pulpit in the Memory Garden. Over the years we have seen a large variety of creatures in attendance: horses, baby goats, sheep, a ferret, snakes, turtles, all shapes and sizes of dogs and many cats and kittens. Watching the proceedings from the trees over head, the songbirds stay on the branches and do not come down to perch on our shoulders as they did with St. Francis, but the service and the act of blessing are a recognition of our connectedness in creation and a thank you for our relationship to all creatures great and small.
Everyone is welcome!
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