OneKind supporter Myrna Forrester tells the story of Aberdeen’s Animal Blessing services.
Craigiebuckler Church hosts its 22nd Animal Blessing Service on 9th June this year. Animal Blessing Services are rare in Scotland as they are not part of the tradition of the Scottish Presbyterian Church.
The Services were introduced to our Church in 1992 when I approached my minister to ask if he would be prepared to allow one. Happily he was. A Scottish Episcopalian minister, the Revd James Thompson, who had conducted many such services in his own churches, conducted the first few at Craigiebuckler before retiring and moving from the area.
It was particularly pleasing when, in 1996, the first Presbyterian minister, the Revd Hugh Kerr, expressed his willingness to take the Services, succeeded five years later by the new minister at Craigiebuckler Church, the Revd Kenneth Petrie, who has since established the tradition.
The animals attending the Service are mainly dogs, with cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils making an occasional appearance. Two tortoises, a diminutive frog, a snail and stick insects are among the rarer creatures which have joined us; a horse is the largest.
The therapeutic value of animals is now well recorded – children raised with pets are more sociable; pets act as ‘ice breakers’ in difficult situations and help us make new friends; they can compensate for childlessness and for the ‘empty nest’ syndrome; they can ease the pain of bereavement; the elderly and housebound who live with pets suffer less from depression; disruptive children in schools can be calmed by their presence, withdrawn children brought out of themselves; residents in care homes welcome visits from Pets As Therapy dogs – in fact, so beneficial are animals to our mental and physical well-being it has been suggested that they be supplied on prescription by the NHS!
The Services provide us with an opportunity to: give thanks for the companionship, loyalty and unconditional love our pets give us; to promote kindness and respect for all living creatures; and to pray for those less fortunate animals which are exploited and abused.
By extending the circle of care to encompass animals it would be gratifying to see more Churches throughout Scotland holding Animal Blessing Services.