[Magdalen] Dog blessing query

[Lynn Ronkainen]

...an aside - a number of years ago this topic was a GOE question in the 
liturgy category, IIRC, having been told so by seminarians while on a 
'display trip'.

Grace - I hope you get some good feed-back

peace
Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

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From: "Grace Cangialosi" <gracecan at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2016 11:25 AM
To: "Magdalen" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: [Magdalen] Dog blessing query

> Yesterday I had a call from a young woman who works at one of the churches 
> where I was an interim. She has to put her dog down because of multiple 
> stomach tumors and wanted me to come and provide a blessing. The vet will 
> come to her home to euthanize the dog. We've agreed that I will come on 
> Tuesday evening for the actual procedure.
> I have no theological problem with this--after all, we bless pets on St. 
> Francis Day. And when I was in seminary we held a formal interment service 
> for our beloved Chip the Monk, who had lived a long life in the woodpile 
> by one of the dorms. (One seminary professor did refuse to lead the 
> ceremony...)
> But I'm wondering if anyone has done something like this and has any 
> suggestions as to reading materials. I'm thinking of part of the Canticle 
> reflecting St. Francis love for creation and maybe one of Mary Oliver's 
> poems about her dog Percy, especially after his death.  And I can 
> certainly offer prayer.
> This is a unique request--at least for me--and I thought I'd pick the 
> brain(s) of this list.=