CREATURES great and small attended the annual pet blessing at St Multose Church in Kinsale last Thursday to mark the feast of St Francis.
Reverend Peter Rutherford told The Southern Star that he has been hosting the pet blessings at the church for the past six years, and up to 60 people attended this year, along with their dogs, cats and even a donkey. ‘It was a wonderful blessing and we asked people to spread out around the church so that there were no issues with the animals. Declan Barrett from Waterfall even bought his 12-year-old donkey, Dorothy and I greeted him at the door,’ said Rev Rutherford, who added that the interest in the pet blessing is gathering momentum every year. ‘We sang a couple of hymns where the words were adapted to suit the pets.’
Rev Rutherford went around the church and blessed all the pets and it was a first, too, for the monks of the nearby Carmelite Friary, who never had a dog before, and brought ‘Tito’. ‘We held a collection at the end of service and we raised €180 for West Cork Animal Welfare which we will send to them,’ said Rev Rutherford.
