Passers-by might have wondered what was going on at First Presbyterian Church on Main Street in Phoenixville on Sunday, June 11th at 10:30 in the morning. There were tents set up and sound equipment was in place. The Praise Team was singing, people were gathering and so were a few extra special guests... of the 4-legged kind. That's right, the church hosted a Blessing of the Animals worship service for congregants, friends, neighbors, and their pets. The weather cooperated as did all the animals - 9 dogs, a cat, a turtle, a goat, several stuffed animals and pictures of pets not in attendance. The service included several responsive prayers, one of which was the Prayer of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. After the reading of two creation-themed scripture passages, Pastor Doug Hagler made his way through the crowd to bless all the pets individually. Worshipers chuckled when the final blessing concluded with a perfectly timed goat response of "baah-baah."
More information about First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville can be found on their
website at fpc-phoenixville.org and on Facebook.
