(Double click on slidesow above for a larger pictures)

5th Annual Calvary Blessing of the Animals Draws
Largest Crowd Yet!

Many believe that animals are our route to our humanity. They show us how to love, how to enjoy being loved, how to care for each other and how to be loyal and kind. They are steadfast and grateful and committed. Theirs are lessons rich with meaning that Calvary celebrates through our popular and well-attended Blessing of the Animals, an annual, growing and much loved community education and outreach initiative that our church has created to remind us of the importance of our connection to and responsibility for all creatures, great and small.

Calvary has been offering the Blessing for five years, providing local and regional residents of all faiths and beliefs the opportunity to bring their pets to Endicott Park, in Danvers, for an individual blessing. Paper blessings, for animals ill or departed, are also offered.

Pet education and awareness is incorporated into the event. Calvary’s Blessing annually offers free information tables to animal groups. This year’s participants included Cape Ann Animal Aid, Cavy Rescue New England, Northeast Animal Shelter, Strays in Need, American Lab Rescue, and Westie Rescue. Other participants included grooming (Everything’s Included Grooming Wagon) pet health (Danvers Animal Hospital “Ask the Vet” table) and demonstrations (Therapy Dogs of Vermont, and Essex County Sheriff’s K-9 unit).

Planning for next year’s Blessing has already begun. The date is Saturday, October 4, 2008. Mark your calendars!

One of our young parishioners took the initiative to raise some dollars for Calvary’s annual Blessing. He created PetPals, hand-painted stones a pet owner can put out in the sun to determine how hot the pavement really is one our canine friends’ paws. Read the story.

Photo left: Dr. George Myers, principal of Danvers Animal Hospital with his pet pal, Tasha, a Great Dane.