Diocesan News17 Oct 17

Pets and their owners flock to pets’ service in Belfast Cathedral

A special service for pets in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Sunday October 15, attracted hundreds of animal lovers and pets in all shapes and sizes.

They came from Belfast and beyond for this very special service, and many of those present expressed delight at the opportunity to bring their pet to church to be blessed.
All the animals were well behaved, there was no fighting in the pews, no dogs chasing cats chasing hamsters, and even Norman the Parrot politely declined to heckle during the Rev Canon Mark Niblock’s reflection. In this Canon Niblock said the service was meant to be fun but also made the serious point about the place pets have in our lives.

“In so many ways they add to our wellbeing, calming us when we’re upset, listening to us rant and rave, enjoying special moments of joy, and walking with us through illness and bereavement,” Canon Niblock said.

In spiritual terms a blessing is an opportunity to thank and praise God for something or someone, and to wish them well. Blessing our pets is not intended to be a gimmick or a magic charm, but to recognise their value in our eyes, and in God’s too, for they are part of the wonderful world in which we live.

“Blessing them is but a reflection of the place they have in our hearts, of the regard we hold them in, of the good they do us.

“And blessing them is maybe a way of seeking a blessing for ourselves and each other, for we all know that our pets give so much more to us than we can ever give to them. They will pass the blessing forward to us, their owners and keepers. For our pets to be blessed they will need us to be blessed also. So this service is for you, their owners, too.”

Canon Niblock spoke of St Francis of Assisi who ‘embraced all of existence, all the created world,’ and Sir David Attenborough, who he said had ‘brought the awareness of the complexity, fragility, majesty and wonder of all forms of life on our planet into our living rooms, our souls and our consciences.’

The service featured the hymns ‘All Creatures of our God and King’ and ‘Now thank we all our God.’ The Choir sang Psalm 8, and ‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ and the reading was from Genesis 1:24–31 recalling the creation of animals.

The prayers gave thanks for all creatures, for the organisations that seek to advocate and safeguard animal welfare, for animals who assist those with special needs, and for pets loved in the past who are still missed.

During the singing of the final hymn, a collection was taken for local animal welfare charities.

After a general blessing, owners were invited to have their pets individually blessed by members of the clergy, and it was certainly some sight to see a queue of animals waiting patiently in line!

John and Violet had brought their four dogs along, including Minnie who is 17 and a half years old, and Bubu, and eight–year–old teacup Yorkshire Terrier who was travelling in a pram because she had just had an operation.

“This is just brilliant,” John said. “We often go to England and you get services for pets there all the time, so it is great to have one in Belfast.”

Christine and Jenson had brought their handsome Pug Elmo, aged two. “This is wonderful,” Christine said. “It is great to see so many dogs.”

Ivan and Carol Boyd had travelled from Muckamore with Archie, Bella and Maddy. “We got them all blessed. They are a very important part of life and they give us a lot and don’t ask for a lot in return, just a bit of love and affection,” Ivan said.

Ingrid Johnston said Blossom, her Jack Russell cross, had really enjoyed the music. “The whole idea of bringing people out for their pets is just lovely,” she said. “It was good fun and sent out a good message,” she said.

More photos from the service are available here.