Thames parish goes to the dogs this year

20 Pet blessing 1

It was a “dog-day” afternoon in Thames on October 4 when the pets and their owners trooped into the grounds of St Francis of Assisi church for their annual blessing.

Parish priest Fr Valerian D’Souza, OFMCap, was ready to receive his furry friends with treats and his aspergillum (a liturgical implement to sprinkle holy water) in front of the parish centre, formerly the convent.

Every year on St Francis’ feast day, people are invited to bring their pets for a blessing as a nod to the saint’s love for animals as expressed in his Canticle of Creatures.

“As Franciscans, we believe that all creatures are sharing the life of God, and hence are brothers and sisters. Our parish was begun by a Franciscan friar, bears the name of Francis of Assisi and is now under the care of Franciscan Capuchins. This gives an added reason why we should celebrate the blessings of all creatures,” Fr D’Souza said.

Fr D’Souza said for those living on their own, a pet “can be a true companion”.

“Many people arrive home from work to find a furry friend overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature,” he said.

“The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love,” he added.

Viv Lander, chairperson of the parish liturgy team, said this year, only dogs came to the blessing.

“We had about 30 dogs of all kinds of breeds and sizes and ages,” Mrs Lander noted. “The dogs were all very well behaved. I think they knew Father had a bag of treats for good dogs.”

“There were even some stuffed toy animals brought along by the younger children,” Mrs Lander said.

Fr D’Souza read from Genesis, then proceeded to bless the pets with holy water.

“The blessing of anything is, first of all, giving thanks to God for that particular thing, and secondly seeking protection on whatever is blessed,” he said.

The blessing ended with an afternoon tea for the humans and duck skin for the dogs.

 

 

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Rowena Orejana

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