A shrimp and an 80-year-old tortoise were with devoted pet lovers who gathered for a rather rainy Animal Blessing service at Burnsall on Sunday.
The service, the first for five years, marked the church season of Creationtide and was called ‘All Creatures of our God and King’, borrowing a line from the famous hymn by William Draper based on the words of St Francis of Assisi.
Despite the very wet weather, a good crowd of animals came along to be blessed, bringing their owners with them, said Revd Matthew Wood, Rector of Linton, Burnsall and Rylstone:
“What a wonderful way to give thanks for the incredible diversity of creation. It was great to be able to welcome people and their furry (or not-so-furry) friends to Burnsall village green to celebrate our relationship with our animal companions.
“There was a rich diversity of animal life in attendance, including dogs, sheep, a fish, a shrimp and an octogenarian tortoise.
“It was a great privilege to be able to bless each of them individually and to share together a sense of how important our animals are to each of us.”
NB: Unknown if the shrimp was prawn again, but its generous giving proved it wasn’t shellfish.
