Pet Blessing held at Gough Park on Saturday

Pets are Blessed in Gough Park 100315

Article and Photos by Shirin McArthur

Gough Park felt the paw-prints of dozens of dogs and cats, as well as more unusual pets, on Saturday as the Silver City Ministerial Alliance and Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd hosted a Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of all God's creatures.

Some of the more unusual pets to make an appearance included a horse, two donkeys and a tiny turtle. The blessing ceremony, which was held three times between 10 am and 2 pm, included a hymn, prayers, and a blessing for each animal present.

Jene Moseley brought her horse Raffi all the way from Mancos Valley for a blessing. She declared that the horse might be more in need of an exorcism and laughingly shared the story of the time she found him in the kitchen of her home, opening a package of dog treats that he had discovered there. Raffi certainly seemed to be making friends with everyone he met, searching their hands and pockets for possible treats and trying to eat any hats and clergy stoles that he could reach.

In addition to a variety of pets and their owners, a number of organizations came to Gough Park and set up booths. Attendees could learn more about pet care and healthy pet foods, as well as SNAP, the Grant County Spay-Neuter Awareness Program. Brewer Hill Baptist Church was offering barbeque lunches and Frumpy Fox was giving away free dog treats.

The High Desert Humane Society brought along a number of dogs of all ages who were available for adoption. Participants could walk the dogs if they liked, and all the dogs were also blessed during the ceremony. Frances Vasquez was giving away hot dogs and chips, and any donations she received toward the food were given to the High Desert Humane Society.

This is the fourth year that the Ministerial Alliance has held this Blessing of the Animals in Gough Park. The Rev. Paul Moore, Priest at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, stated that the number of participants is growing each year. The ceremony is held on the first weekend of October to coincide with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4.