Date: October 3, 2024
Once again, we have the blessing of the animals. The Seminary will bless the animals at 5.15pm today, which will be followed by a community dinner. The service starts outside the chapel. Dogs need to be on a leash; cats in a carrier; and fish should be in water. We are even offering a “drive by blessing” for the animal that finds too much company distracting.
Tomorrow is the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi. He had a deep sense of the need for the Church to honor all of God’s creation. So, tonight we do that work of honoring those companions in our lives that give us so much joy.
I share the conviction of St. Francis that all creation matters. Along with many contemporary theologians, I believe that the Biblical witness offers many clues about the creation being part of the redemptive project of God. This moment this afternoon is not simply “sweet” or “cute” (although it is that), but also witnessing to a deep Biblical truth.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary