Wells River
Such services are often held on or around Oct. 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and environmentalism. But the Wells River Congregational Church and First Congregational Church of Newbury chose April, Earth month.
The congregations, which worship together, “did the whole month on themes related to the planet,” such as climate change, waste and the power of Earth itself, said the Rev. Kate Maver, pastor at both churches. They also discussed how people can help the planet and celebrate it.
“We need to approach all of this in the spirit of celebrating and empowering ourselves to make a difference,” said Maver, who along with several parishioners described the service in telephone interviews last week. Last weekend’s event turned out to be “pretty celebratory.”
Naturally, the Sunday morning service was heavy on animal references, featuring the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful and verses from Psalm 148, which urges praise for God from across heaven and Earth, including sea creatures, birds, cattle and “creeping things.”
Of course, it featured the Prayer of Saint Francis. “Best buddies,” he and Saint Clare, both born in the 12th century, were the ones “who were really seeing” the glory of God in the natural world that God created, Maver said.
There were also blessings for individual beasts, some by proxy.
In lieu of their feline friends, worshipers brought photographs of them. “Cats like to sleep in on Sunday,” Maver quipped.
During the service, Barbara Marshall shared a picture of Snowball, a former stray, and a letter welcoming the cat to their Haverhill neighborhood. The kitty was about 9 months old when Marshall and her husband found her, huddled in the wheelwell of their car, trying to stay warm. Neighbors wrote the letter on behalf of their two cats, Marshall said.
“It was was really cute.”
A longtime member of Wells River Congregational Church, she “very impressed” by the blessing of the animals, the first one she’s attended.
“Animals are important to us. Even on this whole earth everything has its purpose,” Marshall said. “Our pets are like part of our family.”
The event, held on the property where parishioner Janis Moore lives, drew about 20 people and was punctuated with laughter.
Moore, who “has been pestering me to do this forever,” was “exactly right,” said Maver, who had never led a blessing of the animals before. It was “so much fun,” and also a way to “delight in what God has given us,” including all of the animals on the planet.
Moore’s chicken and 13-year-old dog, Mavis, were among the menagerie Sunday.
“It was nice to see people come with their animals and bring all their photos,” said Moore, a deacon with Wells River Congregational Church.
The weather was perfect and people told “incredible stories” about their pets, some funny, others heart-wrenching.
A former animal cruelty investigator and control officer, Moore said she has also been part of natural disaster animal response teams, working with animals after hurricanes Andrew, Isabel and Katrina.
“Animals are a big, big, big part of our lives. You either have them as pets or eat them,” she said. “They need special blessings just like the blessing of the motorcycles, the kayaks, the canoes and the elves.”
For Maver, a high point was the folks who brought a cup full of dirt because it contains “living critters,” she said.
“I thought that was brilliant because without those, none of us eat.”
One of the prayers that day asked that humans’ relationships with their animals mirror God’s love and mercy.
“One of the things I think we really need to take a look at, as people in the Christian faith, is the whole idea of dominance and subduing,” Maver said. “God didn’t say, ‘Here is this incredibly gorgeous planet. Trash it.’ … We need to be stewards of what God has given us.”
Caring for animals is a good analogy for caring for the planet, she said, and that kindness travels in all directions.”
This planet does care for us. We are part of a web, and the web is mutually caring.”
By way of example, Maver mentioned her cat, Mrs. Miller. “(She) cares for me. I get on the sofa and she is on top of me, purring her little heart out.”
Aimee Caruso can be reached at acaruso@vnews.com or 603-727-3210.