When I applied to be the new priest of Christ Church Beaurepaire (Beaconsfield), I read in the parish profile about a program called “Paws and Pray” which the church had done for a number of years, but which had fallen by the wayside due to a long interim without a parish priest (with COVID on top of that). Intrigued, I did a bit of research online, and, to my delight, learned that this was an actual church service where dogs were welcome! There was no doubt in my mind that if I were selected to be Christ Church’s new parish priest, Paws and Praise would make a comeback as soon as possible!
Many of you who’ve been in this Diocese for a while have probably heard of Christ Church Beaurepaire’s dog-friendly worship service. After its initial launch about 10 years ago Paws and Pray garnered national church attention – being featured in the Anglican Journal – and even local secular attention, with a feature in The Montreal Gazette and CBC News. Pet blessings have long been commonplace, but a regular monthly full worship service welcoming our furry friends was a new idea. Over the years a regular worshiping community developed around this Sunday afternoon service, attracting people who would not necessarily show up for a Sunday morning service.
For some sceptics – especially those without pets – such a service might seem like a novelty, a gimmick. But we mustn’t trivialize the importance of pets to the emotional and spiritual well-being of very many people. I recall when I was doing my Clinical Pastoral Education at a long-term care facility that one of the most frequent expressions of grief I encountered among the elderly was that they couldn’t have their dog or cat in the residence with them.
Now, for the cat lovers out there (of which I am one), you might ask whether cats are welcome as well. Though I’d love to be able to include our feline friends, practical considerations have traditionally limited Paws and Pray to canine congregants (the exception being the annual pet blessing). Bringing a large group of dogs and cats together in the church is both stressful for the cats and distracting for the dogs… But now that online streaming has become a routine part of our worship services, cats, birds, hamsters, etc. can virtually attend from the comfort of home!
Paws and Pray doesn’t just focus on dogs, however. The service, in its music and preaching, is oriented towards care of God’s creation and our role as stewards of God’s GOOD creation – a theme which the Church too often neglected throughout its history, and one which is of vital importance for us today.
Depending on how the COVID situation develops, we are tentatively looking to relaunch Paws and Pray on October 3rd (4:30pm) for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This inaugural celebration will likely include a blessing of all pets. Members of any parish (or no parish) are welcome, whether you bring your dog or just love dogs! If you’d like to be put on the Paws and Pray email list, please email Christ Church Beaurepaire at [email protected] or follow us on Facebook!
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