Zoar UCC to hold blessing of the animals service
In celebration of all creatures great and small, the Zoar United Church of Christ will hold a blessing of the animals ceremony on Sept. 29 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
In celebration of all creatures great and small, the Zoar United Church of Christ will hold a blessing of the animals ceremony on Sept. 29 beginning at 9:30 a.m. Any manner of pet that can travel is welcome to receive the blessing including stuffed animals.
The liturgy is about 800 years old, according to Pastor Dan Grimminger. “My understanding is that it has Jewish roots, but in Christianity, it dates back to the 13th century, so that would be considered the High Middle Ages,” he said.
It could be said, however, that the blessing of animals is much older than that. In the English Standard Version, Genesis 1:22 says, “And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’
Later in Genesis the ESV says, “God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures: cattle, creeping things and wild animals of all kinds,’” before giving man dominion over all other creatures.
Grimminger said the service will be an informal, abbreviated one, lasting about 25-30 minutes, and it will be held outdoors at the church located on Fifth Street in Zoar.
“This is my first time doing it, so this is exciting for me too,” Grimminger said, adding the church council members came up with the idea.
“At the beginning of the year, the pastor asked us to come up with some ideas of how we could reach out to the community,” said Carol Murphy, council member. “I thought of the blessing of the animals because people love their animals and consider them members of their families. So maybe we could attract people through their pets with something like this.”
Murphy said a date was chosen close to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals, which is celebrated Oct. 4. St. Francis is commonly recognized for his generosity to the poor and his love for animals and nature.
St. Francis’ love of animals was expressed in his poem, “The Canticle of Creatures,” in which he invites all creatures to praise their Creator. Franciscan friars believe the canticle reminds people that humans are as dependent on the elements of creation as they are on humans.
This affiliation with St. Francis is why some believe the blessing of animals is rooted in Roman Catholicism. Regardless of its origins, the tradition is now practiced by many religions including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
“We are always trying to think of ways we can serve other people best,” Grimminger said. “One of the things I’m always very impressed with our congregations is how much they support different types of missions. In my years of ministry, I’ve seen smaller congregations have anxiety over financial survival. Here, there is no anxiety. The money they give to missions comes right off the top every month, even before the bills are paid. They have faith that they’ll have enough money to operate, and they always do. It’s been an inspiration to me.”
The Zoar UCC Facebook page says, “All nonaggressive, leashed or crated pets and their humans are welcome.” It also says to dress for the weather and bring a lawn chair.
According to Murphy, pop-up tents will be set up for shelter in case of rain. Grimminger asked people bringing pets to arrive about 10 minutes early to get organized.
“If you think about it, in Christian theology, the blessing of animals also happens in the story of Noah’s Ark when God shows us that he valued not just human lives, but he valued animals,” Grimminger said.