All God’s creatures: Blessing of the Animals event takes place in Shrewsbury

SHREWSBURY — Three golden retrievers, Maeve, Finnegan and Murphy, relaxed on the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury's lawn with their owner Tricia MacIsaac. They were at the church for the second annual Blessing of the Animals event.

MacIsaac came for the blessing, and to connect with the community.

"We did not attend last year's event. We came out today because we thought these guys could use a little blessing," MacIsaac said. "It's a nice community event and it's nice to meet other dog people."

MacIsaac got Murphy from an animal rescue in Connecticut when he was 3, and the other two dogs came to her as puppies.

On Saturday afternoon, dozens of people gathered with their parakeets, dogs, tortoises, guinea pigs and more on the First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury's lawn for the event, with the Worcester Animal Rescue League there to promote its animals at the shelter. The celebration was met with pet parents excited to have their animal companions participate in the beloved tradition.

"We are not part of this church community, but it's lovely that this church opens it up to everyone in the community," MacIsaac said. "Our church does their's in October."

The Rev. Holly MillerShank approached each animal and recited a brief blessing. She also blessed all the dogs for adoption from the WARL.

"We want to be able to share God's love in the most inclusive way possible and we want to bring our pets into that understanding that God blesses all of creation," MillerShank said. "We worship outside here on Sunday morning and well-behaved pets are always welcome because we know that we get joy and companionship from our animals."

The blessing began with MillerShank explaining animals' role in the Scripture and then a prayer of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. Then, they blessed animals and read the names of deceased pets. She offered blessings to those who work with animals, such as people in veterinary and agriculture.

"We also wanted to make sure we were highlighting animals that were up for adoption and so I also blessed every one of the pets on the board (featuring photos of all the available animals)," MillerShank said.

Organizer of the event Lyn Tozeski, also a volunteer with the Worcester Animal Rescue League, said MillerShank approached her last year about a Blessings of the Animals event and asked for help.

"We're a really open and affirming church. We're a very embracing community," Tozeski said. "So we really wanted to celebrate God's creatures, all of God's creatures."

Pet-friendly activities were also on tap Saturday, with booths from Shear Love Pet Grooming, who offered free treats, Polkadog Bakery, FCC Youth Group Pet Photo Booth and free pony rides from Ridge Valley Stables.

"It's nice to get these guys (the dogs) out for some socialization," MacIsaac said. "We don't have many months in New England to get out and see people so it's just a nice, relaxed event."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: All God’s creatures: Blessing of the Animals event takes place in Shrewsbury