It is Pet Blessing Sunday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Pearland TX. The altar is graced with well behaved animals that don't jump, wag tails, or wonder what all this is about. Neither do they bark incessantly, get told to "Sit-stay," or get petted. They will be hugged later.
Since we believe that God made all creatures great and small (Cecil F. Alexander), it is a tradition to have a blessing of the animals one Sunday in October as part of the church service. As the pets are brought forward -- on leashes, in arms, or cages -- Fr. Jim blesses them, and many cameras flash. Cary may be the 'official' photographer for St. Andrew's, as she gets some great shots.
I get a few scenes -- here I see a lady in white just under the projection screen, who gives a dog treat to one animal after he has received the blessing.
It is such a delight to see all the animals and hear their sounds. Some constantly announce their presence, while others sit quietly and contentedly in their owner's arms or laps. (I recall a few years ago when our Golden, Dr. Jake, sat in the pew with us, and tried to follow our priest, Fr. Phil, down the aisle.)
In the queue we see more dogs and a small girl with a cat or puppy in a cage. Carter is seen in the foreground of the photo petting his dog Dublin, who wonders about the strange happenings. We look for a Golden Retriever to pet, but enjoy petting the other breeds.
There is one rabbit. So cute. No leash -- well behaved.
To add to the excitement, the band plays animal-themed songs. The voices of the choir are awesome, and I especially enjoy hearing the soprano of our granddaughter, Stephanie, in "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by Solomon Linda/The Tokens.
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| Reed, Michael, Wade, Stephanie and Larry |
Other songs played are
"Smelly Cat" by Phoebe Buffay,
"Gonna Buy me a Dog" by The Monkees,
"You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd" by Roger Miller, and a favorite of mine:
"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog/Joy to the World" by Hoyt Axton/Three Dog Night.
Following are the photos Cary and Jesse are kind enough to share with me, but I discipline myself to use only a few of their 148 here! I don't know who enjoyed
the pet blessing service more, the humans or the animals.
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| Ed, Roxie, Willie and Herb |
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| What is going on up there? |
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| My Space |
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| Not sure who is in this cage...a gerbil? |
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| Molly did a reading in the service |
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| Cats like their cage. |
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| Debbie and Dublin |
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| Who, me? |
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| Can we play now? |
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| Getting Blessed |
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| Blessing the Rabbit |
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| Whoever is in the cage is getting blessed! |
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| I'm being so good! Like my outfit? |
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| Excitement to the Left |
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| I'm next. |
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| Mommie and Daddy pet the baby. |
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| Happy! |
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| Sweet! |
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| Kisses! |
Joy to the fishes, also....
Willie of Willie's Tug,
and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
Sunday, October 2, 2016
