Conversations at Blessing of Animals this Morning

October 6, 2007

I took my dogs to Prince of Peace for the blessing of the animals this morning. It was a lovely occasion. In a warm, light rain, we stood in a circle around an elderly priest, who was a tall, solidly built man with great physical presence, in part from his stature and also because he wore beautiful, crisply starched, floor length white vestments. In addition to about twenty people, our group included twenty-one dogs of various sizes, two cats, one ferret and a rabbit. Everyone was well behaved (even the humans), except for my Brussels Griffon mix, who happily barked at the sky, despite my hushing. Amazingly, he grew quiet when the service began, though.While we waited for a straggler to arrive from the parking lot, in a voice loud enough for all to hear, I asked the priest if he had read Pope Benedict's writings on animals? He said no, but he loved animals and he was currently grieving the death of his dog of

thirteen years. He stepped forward to engage me and while everyone listened, I briefly told him about Benedict feeding the feral cats of Rome and that Benedict wrote that animals have souls and deserved to be treated as such.The priest looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, he turned back to the group, who were paying close attention to every world the priest uttered, and he said that he agreed as anyone who had ever looked into the eyes of an animal knew it had a soul. I piped in behind him, "That includes cows, pigs and chickens, too." He turned slightly to me and with a smile, said, "That includes cows, pigs and chickens, too."And, then we went home. My dogs slept peacefully for the rest of the morning. I pray that the animals, hidden away in captivity in factory farms, can find similar peace in sleep as they can not find in the hideousness of their waking lives. I hope many of

you will join me next Saturday, October 13th in giving voice to these unseen voiceless at the Vegetarian Network of Dallas booth at the Mystics, Mutts and Moonpies festival. Please contact me if you will volunteer for a couple of hours to speak for animals, who have no one but us.Happy Saturday to all. MargaretVegetarian Network of DallasE-Group: /Website: www.vegnod.com

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