Danvers Church To Host Month Of Pet Remembrance Events In October

DANVERS, MA — All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore in Danvers will launch Companion Animal Remembrance Month starting on Oct. 1, a monthlong public observance focused on pet loss, remembrance and the bonds people share with animals.

Perfect Paws Pet Ministry is organizing the series, which runs through Oct. 31 and includes free events open to the public.

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Companion Animal Remembrance Month is a series of gatherings, rituals and reflections centered on household animals and the role they play in people's lives. The observance is open to people of every faith, as well as those who do not identify with one.

The effort is meant to raise awareness of the impact of pet loss.

One of the featured events is the 23rd annual North Shore Community Blessing of the Animals, set for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore, across from Danvers Town Hall. The event will be presided over by the Rev. Ian J. Hamilton, the newly called pastor of All Saints.

The blessing as a longstanding community tradition that honors the bonds between people and animals. Hamilton will greet guests and offer blessings for attending animals. Children may bring stuffed animals for a special blessing, and attendees may also bring photographs, collars, tags, urns or other mementos to remember animals.

Paper prayer cards will be available for animals that cannot attend because of temperament, distance, illness or age. It also states that animals of every kind are welcome if they are on leashes or in carriers.

The event is free and open to all.

A second featured event is "Loving, Losing and Cherishing Our Pets," an author conversation scheduled for Oct. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Zoom. The Zoom meeting ID is 818 9964 4100.

The roundtable will feature E.B. Bartels, author of Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter; Dr. Karen Fine, author of The Other Family Doctor; and Ellen Finnie, author of The Ten Perfections: Spiritual Lessons from a Life with Dogs and Healing Hearts: How Therapy Dogs Change Lives. The discussion will explore pet companionship, grief after loss and the lasting impact animals leave behind.

Companion Animal Remembrance Month continues through Oct. 31.