2019 BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS & FALL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Open House 12 - 4 / Blesing of the Animals at 1:00 pm
Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society
West Windsor, Vermont
All animals, large and small, along with their human companions are invited to attend the Blessing of the Animals and Fall Open House on Saturday, October 5 at Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society located at 4832 Route 44 in West Windsor, VT.
The Fall Open House festivities will begin at 12PM with the Blessing of the Animals ceremony beginning at 1PM.
Since 1228, in Catholicism, October 4th has been recognized as the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, and is a time to reflect on the animals with whom we share this world and our involvement with them. In 1931, at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy, this 13th century tradition became branded as World Animals Day as a way of "highlighting the plight of endangered species."
Organizations the world over will be celebrating the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, who was the patron saint of animals and ecology. On Saturday, October 5th, Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society and representatives of local houses of worship will keep this long-standing tradition alive by hosting an interfaith service to celebrate the bonds of animals and people.
Today, it is easy to see how far the support of animals has come even in recent human history. As the ecology of our world is constantly changing, it is more important than ever that we realize the importance of our connection with animals. Lucy Mackenzie's interfaith Blessing of the Animals seeks to honor all the animals in our lives and to recognize their importance.
While domestication of animals can be linked as far back as 9000 B.C., we are still striving to be better stewards of animals' care. Join Lucy Mackenzie, local clergy and dogs, cats, horses, birds, lizards, turtles, fish, pigs, and other domestic animals for the Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 5th at 1:00 to continue an important mission. On this day and always, it is important to recognize and honor the great bond and relationship between animals and their people.
Representatives from The Old South Congregational Church in Windsor, Rachel Harlow UMC in Windsor, First Congregational Church – United Church of Christ in Hartland, retired Pastor, Margo Marrone and Brownsville Community Church in Brownsville will participate. Rev. Christian Huebner, Pastor of the Brownsville Community Church, will lead the ceremony. Light refreshments will follow.
Each clergy participant, in celebration of the animals, will share a part of the short service prior to blessing visitors, those animals photographed who could not attend, and the shelter residents. Also remembered will be those animal companions who are no longer with us, and those creatures who have, unfortunately, been subjected to inhumane, neglectful and/or unethical treatment.
If you think a crowd of people and other animals might be too much for your animal companion, please bring along a photo of your animal!
The Fall Open House gathering will also be an opportunity for folks to donate dog & cat food, kitty litter, food bowls, dog beds, leashes & collars for the Lucy Mackenzie Food Shelf.
Lucy Mackenzie is located at 4832 VT-44, West Windsor, VT 05089 and the phone number is 802-484-5829. Visit Lucy Mackenzie at https://www.lucymac.org/
Brownsville Community Church's email address is bcchurchvt@gmail.com and you can visit the Church at www.brownsvilleumc-vt.org.
Submitted by Linda Ley
802-484-3200