Friday, May 3, 2024
Three Hood County churches welcomed new — and unique — members to their congregations this month.
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Acton, First Presbyterian Church of Granbury, and Emmanel Lutheran Church in Acton, all recently hosted pet blessings where members of each church brought their animal companion to be blessed by the pastor or reverend.
Every year around Oct. 4, pet blessings are held worldwide to honor and celebrate Saint Francis of Assisi, a beloved saint who was well known for believing that all creatures are loved by God.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
“St. Francis was known for his love of animals and of all creatures. It's because of that that we take sort of the idea of celebrating all our furry friends and feathered friends and so on in the vein of St. Francis,” explained Bonnie McCrickard, reverend of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. “It becomes sort of a theme of rejoicing in all of creation, as all have been blessed by God, and are signs of God's love of creation.”
McCrickard, who gave her first pet blessing in Hood County on Oct. 1, said she blessed about 20 dogs, 10 cats, and a “giant tortoise.”
“It was a great turnout and one of my parishioners also made arrangements for me to go to the Hood County Animal Shelter. I went out there with several of my parishioners and we blessed the pets there,” she said. “It was very sweet because these animals are frightened and looking for companionship, so it was nice to be able to pray for them, bless them, and see them as beloved creatures of God as well.”
McCrickard explained that part of the St. Francis celebration usually involves the prayer of St. Francis, which states:
“Lord, make me an instrument of our peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
“O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”
“That prayer is beautiful and a good reminder of how we're meant to carry out God's love in the world,” McCrickard said. “I've always liked that prayer and the opportunity to share it with other people, and maybe people who've never heard it before. That's a really, really beautiful thing.”
EMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Acton held its pet blessing on Saturday, Oct. 14. Church members were welcome to bring their pets, along with donations of pet food and cash that would be delivered to Mission Granbury’s food bank.
Sally Adamson, evangelism chairman for Emmanuel Lutheran Church, said the pet blessing is a way to celebrate nature and the pets who give us love and companionship.
“I got my dog when my husband died, so she's been a very important companion to me,” she said. “St. Francis of Assisi started blessing animals and we wanted to do something where we could invite the entire community to join us.”
“It’s definitely a celebration of God’s creation,” said Pastor Dan Weichart.
Although last year, Emmanuel Lutheran welcomed many other exotic animals like a local student’s heifer, this year the ceremony was limited in terms of unique animals.
"We invited the FFA at the high school but they're having their own livestock show, so they declined. We invited the sheriff's canine officer, but he was going to be out of town so we've kind of struck out on unique animals,” Adamson said.
Weichart blessed each pet by placing a hand on their head, saying their name, and blessing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He then wished each pet a lifetime of happiness with their owner. Following the blessing, each pet received their own pet blessing certificate.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
While the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and Emmanuel Lutheran Church welcomed live animals, First Presbyterian Church welcomed live animals, stuffed animals, and photos of animals to the ceremony on Oct. 14.
"Sometimes the animal is old, and doesn't like to be around other animals, so you need a picture,” explained Sherrolyn Weed, interim pastor for First Presbyterian Church.
Weed began the ceremony by reading out of a book called “Prayers from the Ark” by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold. The book contains an illustrated collection of poems, with each one being a prayer by one of the animals in Noah’s ark.
“We are supposed to bless animals because they bless us in so many ways,” Weed said. “I mean, some of them are for food, some for transportation, if you need to move something heavy, you'd be glad to have the ox. They're made for different things, and as I reminded the kids, we're animals too, and we're made for special things.”
She explained that mostly dogs showed up to the ceremony, while many other congregation members provided photos of an animal who couldn’t be there, or a stuffed animal.
"We’ve had quite a selection here today,” she said, on Saturday.
Weed said this is the first pet blessing she has done in Granbury, since she just became the interim pastor in May.
“I’ve pastored all over,” she said. “We did it in Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and now Texas, but it turned out to be such a beautiful day.”
