Blessing of the Animals
What was the best event for a dog to take his two-legged friends to this fall? The Blessing of the Animals! Cats and hamsters and rabbits and birds were invited to escort their upright friends to the gathering at Bushmaster Park on October 4th, the traditional feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. In spite of the stormy weather, over 65 critters brought their people friends to Bushmaster Park. Each of the animals received a blessingand enjoyed the special animal treats and the company of other pets.
This city-wide event was sponsored by the Shared Earth Network, an interfaith environmental advocacy network. The Network was founded by Christians for the Earth, but now operates as a separate, inter-faith organization with over 200 members from 22 different denominations and faith traditions. The mission of Shared Earth Network is to bring transformation by uniting people of faith to advocate for the environment. You can learn more about the Network by visiting the website at www.sharedearthnetwork.org.
The motto of the Network, "Shared Earth, Shared Abundance" extends to animals as well as people. They agree with St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, that all God's creatures have inherent value. St. Francis was a Roman Catholic Friar who founded the Franciscan Order and who was famous for his compassion toward animals. He is known to have preached to the birds (who apparently listened attentively), and it is said that he tamed a wolf who had been preying on local villagers. He was a poet and author of the "Canticle of Creatures," his ode to all living things. October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis, and people everywhere honor St. Francis on this day by blessing animals.
It is fitting that the Blessing of the Animals this year involved leaders from five different faith traditions: Dahamane Mahamane, Muslim leader with the Flagstaff Community Masjid, Ken McIntosh, protestant minister at The Journey Church, Jean Myers, Jewish congregant with the Heichal Baoranim Synagogue, Laurent Weichberger, leader of the Meher Baba faith and Larry Whelen, Catholic deacon for San Francisco de Asis. Each leader shared something about their faith perspective on animals, and then each animal was individually blessed.
Live music was performed by guitarists Andrew Shepard and Federated member Doug Porter, who are college students at N.A.U. Displays were provided by Animal Defense League of Arizona, Habitat Harmony and the Shared Earth Network. Habitat Harmony brought their ambassador prairie dogs, Feisty Britches and Mr. Bojangles.
What was the best event for a dog to take his two-legged friends to this fall? The Blessing of the Animals! Cats and hamsters and rabbits and birds were invited to escort their upright friends to the gathering at Bushmaster Park on October 4th, the traditional feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. In spite of the stormy weather, over 65 critters brought their people friends to Bushmaster Park. Each of the animals received a blessingand enjoyed the special animal treats and the company of other pets.
This city-wide event was sponsored by the Shared Earth Network, an interfaith environmental advocacy network. The Network was founded by Christians for the Earth, but now operates as a separate, inter-faith organization with over 200 members from 22 different denominations and faith traditions. The mission of Shared Earth Network is to bring transformation by uniting people of faith to advocate for the environment. You can learn more about the Network by visiting the website at www.sharedearthnetwork.org.
The motto of the Network, "Shared Earth, Shared Abundance" extends to animals as well as people. They agree with St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, that all God's creatures have inherent value. St. Francis was a Roman Catholic Friar who founded the Franciscan Order and who was famous for his compassion toward animals. He is known to have preached to the birds (who apparently listened attentively), and it is said that he tamed a wolf who had been preying on local villagers. He was a poet and author of the "Canticle of Creatures," his ode to all living things. October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis, and people everywhere honor St. Francis on this day by blessing animals.
It is fitting that the Blessing of the Animals this year involved leaders from five different faith traditions: Dahamane Mahamane, Muslim leader with the Flagstaff Community Masjid, Ken McIntosh, protestant minister at The Journey Church, Jean Myers, Jewish congregant with the Heichal Baoranim Synagogue, Laurent Weichberger, leader of the Meher Baba faith and Larry Whelen, Catholic deacon for San Francisco de Asis. Each leader shared something about their faith perspective on animals, and then each animal was individually blessed.
Live music was performed by guitarists Andrew Shepard and Federated member Doug Porter, who are college students at N.A.U. Displays were provided by Animal Defense League of Arizona, Habitat Harmony and the Shared Earth Network. Habitat Harmony brought their ambassador prairie dogs, Feisty Britches and Mr. Bojangles.
© 2009, Flagstaff Federated Community Church 400 W. Aspen Avenue Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 (928) 774-7383
Site Navagation: Home | Worship | Who We Are | Programs | Community | Calendar | Archives | Organization | Links
Comments, suggestions, corrections: webmaster@flagstafffederatedchurch.org
