Pet Blessing gives thanks for 25 animals gathered at Trinity Episcopal

Twenty-three eager dogs, two brave (and crated) cats, and their assorted human caretakers converged on the back lawn of Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday morning, Oct. 3, for a Blessing of Pets service.
“Do you think it’ll stick?” one participant joked, gazing at her uncontainable terrier as Pastor Ian Reed Twiss tried to make the sign of the cross over the pet’s forehead. “She tends to steal food.”
“Watch out for the slobber,” another warned of her black lab mix.
But it wasn’t all romping and wagging. Some attendees brought pictures of recently deceased pets, for whose lives the minister gave thanks in prayer.
And, there was even a little theology. Prayer cards that church members handed out, along with pet treats and human snacks, stated: “We offer this blessing in honor of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals, whose saint’s day is in early October. The blessing helps us remember the gift that God’s creatures are in our lives. (Plus we love the excuse to make new animal friends!)”