Church sees pets as blessing and returns favor - Auburn Journal

Kim Palaferri/Auburn Journal Reverend Vickie Gay gives a blessing for Tiffany King?s dog, Maximum Overdrive, at the Spiritualist Chapel of the Pines in?Auburn?Sunday.

Reverend Vickie Gay spent her Sunday morning praying for a very unique congregation.

The Spiritualist Chapel of the Pines in Auburn hosted its first-ever pet blessing, during which animal lovers brought their furry and four-legged friends to the church.

?Our pets are part of our families,? Gay said. ?They?re just as special. They?re our friends, they?re part of us.?

The event was open to church members and non-members, and even those who couldn?t bring their animals were welcome to bring a picture for the blessing.

That?s what Newcastle resident Linda Avery did for her Queensland heeler, Sonny. He was recently diagnosed with diabetes and was unable to make the blessing.

?It absolutely works just the same as having the critter there,? Avery said.

She said she asked Gay to pray for the ?highest and the best? for Sonny, who is now insulin-dependent.

?It?s just such wonderful energy up there,? Avery said of her church. ?It?s just great, and every opportunity you have to be blessed, my goodness, just take it!?

Gay did individual blessings inside and group blessings outside for larger animals of all types. She said a blessing is intended ?to allow good things to happen to your pet. To bring healing to your pet. To bring a good disposition and a good life.?

An animal lover herself, Gay brought her cat, Hunter, and dog, Axel to the blessing. Granite Bay photographer Jennifer Woods, of Jennifer Woods Photography, shot free photos of the pets and owners after the blessing, which attendees can download online and print as they please.

Woods said she was looking for a way to give back to the Spiritualist Chapel of the Pines, of which she is a member. Her skill in photography, she realized, could benefit the church.

?I find a lot of joy out of doing photography for people,? Woods said. ?My motto is ?capturing life, one moment at a time.??

Gay also welcomed attendees to light candles in memory of pets who have died, and emphasized that pets are just as much a part of a family as their human counterparts.

?When your pet gets blessed, in essence it?s a good thing for yourself, because the good is coming to your pet,? Gay said. ?They are in your home.?

Reach Krissi Khokhobashvili at krissik@goldcountrymedia.com.

Source: http://auburnjournal.com/detail/192511.html

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