New Haven Independent

The menagerie showed up Sunday at St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church on Whitney Avenue for a service of blessing for pets and their companions, the first since 1985. The pets could even be stuffed.

The Reverend Michael F. Ray, the rector, stood outside with Erika Nemeti and her black dwarf rabbit Laszlo. The early October day was so warm and delightful as animals lined up to process in to the tune of, you guessed it, Saint Saens’s “Carnival of the Animals.” It would not have been altogether surprising for the birds, confused by the spring-like warmth, suddenly to alight on the reverend’s shoulders in the manner of Saint Francis of Assissi, whose day, which was on Thursday, is the basis for the service.

Using their human interpreters, a reporter resolved to interview several of the animals about the proceedings. Laszlo the rabbit apparently was hoping not to meet any dogs — there were many, but few cats. His owner was hoping that inside he would be blessed with a long life, since rabbits tend to have short ones.

Champ, who belongs to Constance Cahill, received these words from associate rector Mo Lederman: “May God bless you in your life with this family, and may your barking praise God.” She said Champ was so moved, he had no further comment.

Also silent were the three hermit crabs that this little girl brought to church. Perhaps they were just shy, like the girl herself, or spoke in such soft crabby voices, they could not be heard.

The crabs, it turned out, live in St. Thomas’s pre-K school where Andrew Myers’s pygmy hedgehog, Hedgie, also lives. Myers teaches 16 four-year-olds, one of whom will likely one day be this young man, Nolan Lederman, son of the associate rector, being held by his daddy Bill. Nolan had brought to church a kind of stuffed elephant headband which he wanted blessed. The elephant’s name, according to Nolan, is Nolan. The blessing he hopes for his elephant is for good memory. Seems a likely prospect.

Waiting patiently for their turn, and barking along in praise to various hymns, were the poodle Samson, with his companion Sandy Angostakis, who sings in the choir at St. Thomas. Samson was whispering to Carson Perez, the church’s seminarian intern from Yale Divinity School, that everything was a little confusing for him. The two one-year-old Pomeranians, Parker and Jordan, praying in the row behind Samson, had a lot on their canine minds that they hoped blessings would allay.

According to their companion, Joan Hogan, their brother was killed and eaten by a coyote in East Haven in March. “We’re happy to be here,” she interpreted for them, “because our brother was killed and we want to feel safe in this family and in this church.”

One of the most important blessings that Reverend Ray gave was to Sophie, Sue Richmond’s Bichon Frise. Richmond, a psychotherapist, said that it concerned her how many people were friendly with animals but found people, human animals, quite scary. “You’ll pardon the pun, but I’ve been hounding Reverend Ray for months to have this service. It makes people feel good, and it brings new people into the church with a feeling of caring and safety.”

Clearly, the service was fun. It was followed by ice cream sundaes for the humans and whatever the animal companions managed to obtain. It was thoughtful and moving as well. Among the blessings and the barkings, Reverend Ray said that it was his intention to bless all animals brought to him regardless of their sexual orientation or if they possessed an immigrant ID or not.

The texts and hymns celebrating the fellowship of other creatures humble us into a sense of our sharing the planet with them, and increase the responsibility of our stewardship. In seeing how fine and generous animals are with their affections (well, maybe with the exception of the hermit crabs), we see our own compassion put to shame. All that was provided by the presence of all these creatures, like this Rotweiler, Bear, adopted at age 12 by new church member Margo Murdoch. As the hugs abounded, all creatures murmured, “Amen.”