Blessing of the Animals 2013

We had a wonderful celebration of St. Francis's feast day early in October! The service of Holy Eucharist was enhanced with an animal blessing and some exotic animal visitors. I have been so busy I forgot to post the pictures. Here are some photos to give you a feel for this wonder-filled service!

Many dogs raised their voices in song this year!

We had a great group of dogs, a number of cats, and some rodents too!

Sandy loves Church!

Our preacher Carol and her support team.

My dog Sydney enjoyed the service tremendously!

Carol our preacher, Rev. Peter our celebrant, and friends!

Our Christ Church girls are not afraid of spiders!

Look at that smile!

All creatures great and small...

The exotic animal parade!
Rev. Peter could not get far enough away from this snake!

This wallaby youngster was in its mother's pouch
at last year's blessing!

The Yak! It took a little coaxing to get him down the aisle
and then he didn't want to leave.

What a beauty!

At the end of the service animals came
 forward with their family for a blessing.

Pet Blessing Sunday!

Join us this Sunday, October 6th at 10:30 am as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis with a service of Holy Eucharist and Blessing of the Animals!

Bring your pets (on a leash or in a cage) to Church! 

There will be a parade of exotic animals during the service!

Everyone will be invited to bring their pets forward for a blessing.  

See you Sunday!

Christian formation will begin at 9:15 am as usual and atrium will end early so that everyone can enjoy the service. The Nursery will be open from 9:00 am until the conclusion of the 10:30 service.

Blessing of the Animals, Part Two!

In addition to the exotic animals who visited our Church Sunday, many pets made their way up the aisle for a blessing as well! I hope you enjoy these photos of parishioners and their animal friends!

Many thanks to parishioner Kimberly Shepherd, of Kats Eye on Life Photography for her candid shots of our celebration. You can see more great pictures by Plain Dealer photographer Gus Chan in the Photo Section of the Plain Dealer online. 

Blessing of the Animals!

Our service in honor of St. Francis was wonderful this morning, and just as crazy as you might imagine! 

Here are some pictures of the exotic animals that took part in the Parade of Animals!

The camel nuzzling the wallaby!

Check back tomorrow for a look at some of the pets who were blessed at our service today!

Blessing of the Animals Sunday!

Come one, come all, to the Blessing of the Animals and Parade of Exotic Animals at Christ Church this Sunday, October 7th! This annual celebration honors the feast day of St. Francis (Oct. 4th). It reminds us of the tremendous gift we have been given in creation, and the blessings that many of us receive from our pets and the other animals we encounter in our lives.

Bring your pets (on a leash or in a cage) to the 10:30 service this week and they will receive a blessing from our priests. We will also have some exotic animals with us during the service and afterwards to get to know. Several of our past visitors are pictured in this post!

This Sunday we will end atrium at 10:15 am so that the children can sit with their families for the entire 10:30 service. We know that no one wants to miss a bark or a hiss!! Parents of children in the Good Shepherd Atrium- please meet outside the atrium at 10:15 am and wait there to pick up your little ones. Older children will meet their parents in Church. See you Sunday!