Puppy Mass

Sunday was the Feast of St. Francis and so we had the traditional "Puppy Mass" as I like to call it.

St. Francis was the patron saint of animals so it's traditional that there is a service in which a Blessing of the Animals is provided. Attendees are invited to bring their pets to church for a blessing. I know that sounds strange, but the service is really touching and, besides, it's pretty fun to see a cathedral filled with pets. The Episcopal church where I'm singing had one as well, attended mostly by our canine friends.

So that's why I call it Puppy Mass.

A friend of mine wanted to know what sort of hymns were appropriate for this service. I can never remember the names of hymns (or for most things for that matter). I knew we'd be singing All Things Bright and Beautiful but since I can't ever remember that, I've always called it The Tiny Wing Song because it includes the following verse:

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

See? The Tiny Wing Song.

Anyway, here are some photos as our canine congregation was congregating outside.

There was a big fella in attendance; a 110-lb chocolate Labrador named Rock.



And, on the other end of the spectrum was this little guy of Chihuahuan descent, dressed in his Sunday finest.

A few more of our furry friends.
Plenty of water bowls were supplied.
A playful little meet-n-greet session broke out before the procession.
The pastor gave a few instructions to our guests on how to process in.
All the pets processed into the cathedral before the clergy and choir. Once we began to process in, they let loose with their "joyful noises."

At one point, I looked down from the choir loft and noticed Rock sitting near the front. He was perched on his haunches in the pew with his big paws on the back of the pew in front of him. Every once and a while, he'd let out a bark which would get all the other furry friends going.

Afterward, I got to give Rock a big hug. As I was changing out of my choir robe, I noticed copious amounts of dog-slobber on my sleeve.

Oh well. That's just part of singing at Puppy Mass.