Puppy Mass

Sunday was the Feast of St. Francis which means one thing:
Puppy Mass!

St. Francis was the patron saint of animals so on his feast-day many churches offer a Blessing of the Animals. Folks are encouraged to bring their pets to church and they can receive a blessing. (The pets, not the folks.)

I've attended this service many times and it can go one of two ways. (1) It can be a really meaningful service in which the minister gives a touching sermon about God's creatures and the role us folks play in relation to them.

Or

(2) It can be a yapping, howling free-for-all where folks get to bring a snake to church.

Thankfully, the church I sing in had the former. Here are a few furry congregants gathering for the processional:

Yes, that's a Louis Vuitton pet carrier next to the well-groomed poodles. (Click twice on the pic to embiggen. The woman in black next to the Louis Vuitton is carrying a live chinchilla.) Obviously, these are Episcopalian pets.

Meanwhile, my friend, Jack, took Chloe to be blessed at a Lutheran church on the north side of town. You can watch the video here.
It's awfully cute.

Yes, the dogs sit in the pews. And no, I've never seen any "accidents". A growling scuffle, maybe. Accidents, no.