[Magdalen] Dog blessing query

[ROGER STOKES]

Grace,
I suspect the Jesuit position regarding the last rites would be "had he been able to request them and express contrition for his sins he would have done so." As regards the baptizing of dead babies do we not worship a God who is outside of time and so all times are the same to the divine?  The foetus, even if it did not draw a single breath was a real being with a real identity. I recall a priest telling me of being called in to baptize what looked like a squashed frog and saying "that which is born of woman is human" and baptized as requested.

Do what is pastorally right and leave it to God to sort out.
Roger
 

    On Saturday, 31 December 2016, 19:35, Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com> wrote:
 

 I was a hospital chaplain for a number of years, and I never refused a request to baptize a stillborn or other dead baby or toddler. I always figured this was really for the parents, that it did no harm, and that God could sort it out.
I once called a local Jesuit priest at the request of the family of a man in the ICU who was already comatose. They wanted "last rites." He asked me a couple of questions, then came in and spent time in with the family. I waited outside the room and then walked out of the unit with him. He turned to me and said, " I guess you know I really wasn't supposed to do that."  I said yes, I knew, but it was obviously the right pastoral decision for the family--the bedside is no place for a theological discussion/argument. We then talked a bit about baptizing dead babies. It was a very lovely conversation. I love Jesuits!

> On Dec 31, 2016, at 2:10 PM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> IANAP but if I were I think I'd thank the dog for years of faithful
> companionship,
> mention the fact that we see God's faithfulness so demonstrated,
> (yay creation!)
> and bless the person.
> 
> Years ago I knew a priest who was asked to baptize a stillborn baby.
> To his credit, he always refused to tell anyone what he did,
> whether he baptized or not.
> Because either way, somebody was going to argue with him, I suppose.
> -M