On Sunday last week, at St. Peter's Anglican church, barks and meows joined alongside human voices during the annual Blessing of the Animals service. The service is held annually to honour St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of birds and beasts, and to mark the end of the Season of Creation in the church calendar.
It was a delight to have fourteen dogs in our midst and one cat. They each, in turn, received a blessing (and a dog biscuit or Temptations treat).
I reminded parishioners that when we bless animals, we're echoing the divine blessing. We often forget that God not only blesses humans with the words "be fruitful and multiply". Animals receive that same divine blessing. Unfortunately, by not living within our limits, humans have often impeded the ability of other creatures to live into the fullness of life.
The service concluded with a blessing of the wild creatures that call Kaikōura home. Several people shared what lessons they've learned from wild animals. We closed with the following prayer for wild animals:
Most Holy One, we thank you that we can share this corner of your world with so many creatures great and small... Hutton’s shearwater, Hector’s dolphins, little blue penguins, banded dotterels, sperm whales, kea, bellbirds, and weta, to name but a few. May they receive the food, the rest, and the companionship they need to flourish. Help us to do what we can to keep them safe, including keeping our skies as dark as possible, protecting their habitats, and doing what’s within our power to keep them safe from predators.
I'm struck by what a wonderful outreach the blessing of the animals service has become. This year we made invitations and addressed them directly to pets of people we wanted to invite. Who doesn't want their animal companion to receive a blessing?
One young woman commented that it was one of the most impactful church services she's ever been to. She was impressed to see the Anglicans taking time and effort to extend a welcome to animals.
As we start imagining how we can welcome people in as part of the Haere Mai initiative, let's also think about the ways in which we can extend hospitality to the rest of God's creation.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
On Sunday last week, at St. Peter's Anglican church, barks and meows joined alongside human voices during the annual Blessing of the Animals service. The service is held annually to honour St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of birds and beasts, and to mark the end of the Season of Creation in the church calendar.
It was a delight to have fourteen dogs in our midst and one cat. They each, in turn, received a blessing (and a dog biscuit or Temptations treat).
I reminded parishioners that when we bless animals, we're echoing the divine blessing. We often forget that God not only blesses humans with the words "be fruitful and multiply". Animals receive that same divine blessing. Unfortunately, by not living within our limits, humans have often impeded the ability of other creatures to live into the fullness of life.
The service concluded with a blessing of the wild creatures that call Kaikōura home. Several people shared what lessons they've learned from wild animals. We closed with the following prayer for wild animals:
Most Holy One, we thank you that we can share this corner of your world with so many creatures great and small... Hutton’s shearwater, Hector’s dolphins, little blue penguins, banded dotterels, sperm whales, kea, bellbirds, and weta, to name but a few. May they receive the food, the rest, and the companionship they need to flourish. Help us to do what we can to keep them safe, including keeping our skies as dark as possible, protecting their habitats, and doing what’s within our power to keep them safe from predators.
I'm struck by what a wonderful outreach the blessing of the animals service has become. This year we made invitations and addressed them directly to pets of people we wanted to invite. Who doesn't want their animal companion to receive a blessing?
One young woman commented that it was one of the most impactful church services she's ever been to. She was impressed to see the Anglicans taking time and effort to extend a welcome to animals.
As we start imagining how we can welcome people in as part of the Haere Mai initiative, let's also think about the ways in which we can extend hospitality to the rest of God's creation.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
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