Rocky rested on the red velvet cushion of a pew in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton.
She joined other dogs, big and small, who sat on their humans’ laps or laid on the church floor.
Early October is pets’ turn to go to church.
In front of the sanctuary, the Rev. Dr. Tyler Parry sat in a chair to bless the big dogs and stood up for the little pups.
“May God bless you,” he said while petting the animals. "May you ... find joy, peace and health this year."
Blessings of animals are always held around St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day on Oct. 4.
"Which is really a celebration of the good creation and the joy of having pets. So it's not so much a gift that we give to the pets, but it's a recognition of the gift that pets give to us,” Parry said.
A saint for animals
St. Francis is known for his love of nature and animals, Parry said. The saint, who died in the 13th century, felt a kinship with creatures. St. Francis’ teachings serve to remind the faithful that they have a responsibility to the world and to their pets.
“When we're talking about spirituality, when we're talking about religion, we're talking about love. And so love, of course, is between neighbors, between people, but it's between pets and us as well,” Parry said.
During the service, the small group of pet lovers read psalms that describe God’s necessities for life and creation. A reading described St. Francis’ love for nature.
The recipients of Friday’s blessing were all canines — although some owners brought pictures of their pets, including cats, to be blessed.
'Extra blessed'
Rebecca McLaughlin brought Paige, her five-year-old Australian Shepherd. Paige likes people and cuddled up to Parry.
"I think it's wonderful that the church recognizes other living creatures, other than humans, as being part of the bigger family. You know, because we all love them,” she said.
Rocky is a 10-year-old black lab and a therapy dog who came with her dog mom, Anna Berezich.
"It's nice to get her in the church, and then I feel like she's extra blessed because she has to sit through a Mass,” Berezich said.
Parry said the blessings are intended not as a good luck charm but rather to reinforce that pets are a gift.
“And just to be glad that … in a world that can be really sad or really dark, really scary, you come home and your pup is wagging his tail … it's like, 'You know what? It's gonna be all right. Let's cuddle up together and enjoy this evening.' So the blessing is to say thank you,” he said.
