Blessing of the Animals
February 15, 1998
Q. Do any congregations have experience with the "blessing of the animals" ceremony?A. The Fox Valley Universalist Unitarian ( UU) Fellowship in Appleton, WI (270) has a Blessing of the Animals service nearly every year and Janet Veum reports that it's a big hit. "It's an intergenerational, interspecies service in which we honor the role animals have in our lives, introduce our pets (whether present or absent), and remember animals who have died," Veum said. "Our children love this service and I think many adults do, too, although those with allergies stay home! We have plenty of paper towels available, but generally have remarkably few 'accidents' and no altercations that I can recall. The most interesting part of the service to me can be hymn-singing when we have some unusual harmonies."
Note: The Fox Valley congregation now (2007) has about 460 members.
For more information contact interconnections @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
