St. Stephen's Blesses the Animals

A hermit crab named Shelly, a few cats, a hamster, a guinea pig, and around 30 dogs of various sizes and breeds received special blessings and prayers on Sunday at St. Stephen's United Methodist Church in Burke for their first "Blessing of the Animals" event.

Pastor Jeff Mickle and Pastor Melissa Porter-Miller led the service with a scripture reading, prayers for the animals, and ended with everyone singing in unison to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

The ceremony also included a "Circle of Praise" where the Pastor recited a list of species, after each one being joined by the congregation reciting "Praise the Lord!" "All dogs, cats, large and small; all rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs; all goldfish guppies and swimming creatures; all parrots, robins, and singing birds; all bats, squirrels and raccoons; all horses, cows, and sheep; all lizards, snakes, and creeping things; and every animal in the sky, sea, and the forest."

Congregants were then instructed to place their hands on their beloved pets while giving thanks for all God's creatures. "Lord, for all the animals in the whole wide world; for all the fun and friendship we have with animals we thank you God. For all the times we have hurt or neglected animals, or destroyed their habitats or homes, we are sorry. Lord, we thank you for giving us responsibility for all the creatures of the earth."

Congregants then formed two procession lines to have their animals blessed by one of the pastors. One by one, Pastors Porter-Miller and Mickle placed their hands on each animal while reciting, "May you be blessed in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May you and your family enjoy life together with the God who created you."

"It was very exciting to see the number of people and animals that came out for our first event," said Pastor Porter-Miller, whose own cat Cassie attended the event. "This year at the church we have an emphasis on 'creation care,' so this was a great way to celebrate that theme."

In addition to animals present at the event, several people brought photos of horses and other pets, including one young man who stepped up to Pastor Mickle to have his pet frog blessed via a photo on his iPhone.

"It was a very holy moment to have an opportunity to lay my hands on the animals and recognize how special they are," Pastor Porter-Miller said. "Many of the animals would look right into my eyes and were very responsive."

Local veterinarian Dr. Dave Jackson was on hand to help out with coordinating the line up of the animals and to ensure that the event remained a peaceful one. "His knowledge of the different dog breeds and who gets along with who was very helpful," Pastor Porter-Miller said.

"People and animals really seemed to enjoy the event," said Pastor Porter-Miller. "We're hoping to continue it as a yearly tradition."