EDMONDS — Barks and yips accompanied the church choir at the 10:30 a.m. service.
This wasn’t your usual crowd at Edmonds Lutheran Church.
The congregation Sunday included Lilly, a mature Maltese-shih-tzu mix, and Mellie, a boisterous 2-year-old golden retriever. Among the other guests were Buddy the guinea pig and Sassy the cat.
In all, owners shepherded about two-dozen animals to the blessing of the pets, a ritual honored around the time of the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi.
“I love the extra voices we have this morning, and they are welcome,” the Rev. Julie Josund told the congregation when she opened the service. “All of God’s creatures are welcome.”
Pet blessings have become a fixture at churches of various denominations this time of year. Pastors at Edmonds Lutheran have performed pet blessings for four years running.
The association with St. Francis stems from his status as the patron saint of animals and the environment. An Italian Catholic, Francis’ life spanned the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Believers observe his feast day on Oct. 4.
While St. Francis comes from the Catholic tradition, Lutherans and other Christians have embraced the values he embodies.
“They have good things to teach us and St. Francis resonates with us,” said Josund, who goes by “Pastor Julie.”
The day’s sermon emphasized mental health awareness and the importance of openly addressing mental illness. The theme will be a focus of the church throughout the month of October.
Between sermon and prayer, the sound of singing, violins and piano filled the stain-glass and wooden sanctuary at 23525 84th Ave. W, between Highway 99 and Edmonds Way.
Lorelei Avery of Mountlake Terrace has been a regular at the Edmonds Lutheran pet blessings. On Sunday, she brought Ducky, her white 15-year-old Clumber spaniel, a long, low-slung breed of spaniel that’s rare in the United States.
“We acknowledge that the animals are part of God’s world,” said Avery, who works in customer service for Kenmore Air. “We love them all and God loves them all.”
“Apparently the blessings work really well,” she said, noting her dog’s advanced age.
This was the first blessing for Mellie, the young golden retriever. Her owner, spiritual counselor Jerry O’Neill, sat near the back of the sanctuary, attempting to keep her energy in check.
“I’m hoping she’ll be blessed enough to be a therapy dog one day,” O’Neill said.
Almost all of the pets this past weekend were dogs. One exception was, Buddy, a guinea pig whose owners decked him out in a mini cowboy getup.
“Buddy’s important for our family,” said Susan Phillips of Kenmore, who attended the service with her mother and 23-year-old son. “We know he’s an animal, but it’s nice to have a blessing.”
Some of the more unusual creatures blessed in past years have included a parrot perched on a man’s shoulder and a turtle from a fourth-grade classroom. A man once brought a tarantula, but kept the arachnid in its terrarium.
“The fellow didn’t bring him out because people were getting nervous,” Josund said.
When the time came to perform Sunday’s blessing, people lined up with their pets in the church’s two aisles.
Josund blessed the pets in one row. Her colleague, the Rev. Tim Oleson, handled the other. It was his first pet blessing in this church.
As sets of owners and pets approached, Oleson would offer these words:
“Bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May you continue to be blessed as a wonderful companion for your family, and four a long and healthy life.”
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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