Not only do "all dogs go to heaven," but all other animals are welcome, too

10/13/09About 40 animals and their owners congregated a Copley Square at the annual Blessing of the Animals at Trinity Church on Oct. 4. The Revs. David Dill and Paige Fisher blessed dogs, guinea pigs, cats and even ferrets.

Those who were not able to bring their pets brought photos of their pets. A few others brought the ashes of their departed pets. Some children even wore colorful animal masks to take part in the festivities.

"Last year we sprinkled water on the animals but we won't be doing that this year because that seems to be a little cruel," Fisher announced to the crowd. "This year we will just go around and lay hands on them."

The short and intimate ceremony consisted of a mass prayer, a reading from Christian literature, and the singing of a hymn. The ceremony ended with both ministers laying hands and saying a prayer for the animals.

Although most attendees were parishioners of Trinity Church, some others did come out. Ashley Richards, 22, of Allston, found out about the event online and decided to bring her cat, Feathers.

"She has been acting up a lot lately, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring her over," Richards said. "Hopefully, this will straighten her out."


The ceremony celebrates St. Francis of Assisi, who was known for his great love of animals. Oct. 4 is the day set aside to honor St. Francis and is usually when the Blessing of the Animals ceremony is held.

Participants were asked to donate money for the upkeep of the church's St. Francis garden and altar flowers. A portion of the funds were donated to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA).

Last year, about $1,020 was raised at the Blessing of the Animals event, and out of that amount, MSPCA received $250. The money that is donated to the MSPCA goes to the MSPCA-Angell general fund and is distributed to the departments that need it most.

The MSPCA brought two adoptive dogs to the Blessing of the Animals event as a part of their adopt-a-thon. MSPCA brought the dogs in hopes of raising awareness about the increasing number of homeless cats and dogs in Boston.

The day before the Blessing of the Animals, MSPCA hosted a kitten adopt-a-thon at its adoption center in Boston. In August, the organization had received 309 kittens.


"Even if these animals don't have homes, and don't get adopted at these events, the word spreads that these animals need homes," said Brian Adams, senior manager of media and communications for the MSPCA. "They might end up getting adopted indirectly because of the event through word of mouth."

Trinity Church officials have not yet tallied this year's donations. Officials say that they will give MSPCA-Angell about 20 percent of the contributions.