Minutes into Wednesday’s event at the Abilene Zoo, it turned into an alligator hunt. Not with harm in mind but a blessing instead.
This was the fourth St. Francis at the Zoo event for the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest. The after-hours gathering attracted a crowd of at least 40 adults and children there to participate in the annual blessing of the animals, conducted by the Rev. David Romanik, rector, and the Rev. Amanda Watson, assistant rector for community life.
“St. Francis was a 13th Century monk who showed love to all of Creation by offering blessings to animals, and we celebrate that here by blessing the animals of the Abilene Zoo,” explained Romanik.
The afternoon was sponsored by Jane and Phil Guitar, as well as Kathy Drury.
After a short service near the gate, the group went in search of Albert, the zoo’s alligator, who was using his natural camouflage to great effect during this first stop. Children ran out ahead of the two clergy, searching and calling loudly to each other — and the reptile — until they found him tucked in a corner beneath the ramps everyone was gathered upon.
Watson from above flicked baptismal water on Albert, who didn’t appear to mind in the least, and read a special prayer for the animal. After that, the entire group noisily moved on to the flamingos who turned their heads toward the approaching ruckus.
Whenever I can cover it, the blessing of the animals is one of my favorite assignments each year if for no other reason than the afternoon can be a zoo in every sense of the word. Kids enthusiastically run from exhibit to exhibit, shouting, sometimes dancing, and pointing out the hidden animals as the clergy — and parents — do their best to keep up.
Most animals remain undisturbed through the whole experience though some like the rhinoceros seemed to remember they had somewhere else to be as the crowd rolled up. When Romanik arrived and saw the rhino, he turned to the crowd to read the prayer he’d written especially for it.
When Romanik turned back around to sprinkle the rhino, he discovered it had ambled to the other side of the enclosure while the reverend’s back was turned. Romanik laughed and flicked his water-laden aspergillum at the animal’s stone trough.
“My great-grandmother brought it over with her when she immigrated from Poland in 1912,” he said, referring to the liturgical instrument in his hand which resembled, at least to folks around here, a wooden barbecue basting brush.
I asked him later if the “Lost Boys” rule applied in the case of the rhino’s trough. That’s where if the holy water flung from the aspergillum lands in the larger vessel, does it turn the rest of the water holy, too, like in that 80s vampire movie?
“You know, I spent a lot of time in my youth wondering the same question,” he quipped.
But for all the happiness exhibited that afternoon, Wednesday at the zoo had a sad undercurrent to it as well. Just minutes before the blessings began, the Abilene Zoo announced the death of their baby giraffe, Zahara. Born July 20, Zahara died from complications due to a recent severe leg fracture.
Romanik wasn’t aware of the loss until he had arrived at the zoo. As the group paused on the covered deck where visitors feed the giraffes with lettuce, the reverend recited a special prayer for Zahara and those grieving for her.
“It's something that we do in the church. We acknowledge that the dead are not fully gone, that they are still present to us in many ways,” he said.
He acknowledged the zoo staff, noting their appreciation for the church’s presence each year and the opportunity to say prayers. Remembering Zahara is a blossom of that appreciation.
“I just thought it was appropriate to acknowledge the passing of the giraffe. She brought a lot of joy to a lot of kids,” Romanik said. “It was a sad day, and it's important.”
More: Abilenians mark National Night Out with hotdogs, robots and fun
More: New McMurry president hopes to inspire 'servant leadership'
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: At the Abilene Zoo, blessings and heartfelt prayers for loss
Local News
