Family service & pet blessing at St Michael's

Father Huggins said:" It was a fantastic service, lots of people and loads of pets - which was wonderful. There was also an Irish wolfhound - who must have weighed around ten stone - who I made sure to keep an eye on during the service!"

During the service the congregation sang a range of modern hymns, listened to a reading and were invited to take their beloved pets to Father Huggins to be blessed.

With approximately eighty people and around thirty pets, including tortoises, hamsters, cats and dogs attending, the Reverand certainly had his hands full, but despite there being such a wide range of four legged friends, the forty five minute service was relatively problem free '“ with the exception of one friendlily mutt who chose to respond to everything Father Huggins said:

"As soon as I started speaking he barked and it became clear that he wasn't going to stop so I had no choice but to continue! But generally all the pets behaved themselves, which is amazing really. Everyone had a really good time and it was a very happy occasion."

Father Huggins explained the reason behind the service: "There's a growing movement in the Church of England to celebrate the creation of animals. And in particular, this time of year is associated with harvesting and we think about creation and animals. On the 4th October the church remembers St Francis of Assisi, a Patron Saint of Italy who is associated with the environment, the created world, and who is remembered for his work with animals. It's all about raising our awareness of the treatment of animals, and saying thank you to God for His gift of animals."