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Episcopal Church USA National Seal The Blessing of the Animals
October 5th 2008
 
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mystic, Connecticut 		View of St. Mark's Church coming from Main Street

We celebrate the annual Blessing of the Animals on the Sunday closest to the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Between the church building and the parking lot is a small garden, barely visible in the photo at the top right of each Page on St. Mark's Web Site. In the garden are bird feeders, a birdbath, trellises, and a small statue of Saint Francis with one of his feathered friends. Does he smile while the animals are being blessed?

St. Francis watches over the Blessing of the Animals

The Blessing of the Animals is very much a family-friendly event. After all, pets are part of the family, too.

Reading the bulletin before beginning

People who care for companion animals are sometimes called "Pet parents", and several of us have "granddogs" as well as grandkids.

'Hmmm. What is that in the blue carrier?' 'OK, you have my attention now.'

Dogs seemed to be more numerous at the Blessing of the Animals, but our feline friends were well represented. Maybe that's why some of the canine people were unusually alert.

'I am just a little concerned.' 'Did somebody say snacks?'

Not just living animals are welcome - stuffed pets can be blessed, too!

Some of the participants were more interested in their surroundings, but others wanted to lick the hand that blessed them.

'What are you hiding back there?' 'This is fun, thanks!'

Dizzy has been blind for five of her twelve years, but is still interested in people. After the 10 o'clock service, she tried to slide quietly into Coffee Hour when she thought Fr. Mark and Marlene weren't looking.

Dizzy waits patiently for her turn. 'Hi, Dad!'

It looks as if canine senior citizens get gray, too.

''

Dogs' opinions of the proceedings seemed to be mixed, ranging from "You got me out in the rain for this?" to "Hey! That wasn't half bad!" ...

'This is not what I had in mind today.' 'Well, OK, if you insist.'

... and "I'll just wait my turn, thanks." to "Is anyone else ready to go home?".

'You're the one with the raincoat.' 'You're the one with the raincoat.'

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6 October 2008 		St. Mark's Episcopal Church
15 Pearl Street
Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 572-9549