Blessing of the Animals at St Matthew-in-the-City in Auckland was attended by more than 100 people and their pets. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
It is an unusually busy Sunday at St Matthew-in-the-City in Auckland as Reverend Richard Bonifant begins the ceremony.
"Good afternoon, everyone. A very, very warm welcome . And thank you that so many of you decided to bring your human beings with you as well."
Reverend Richard Bonifant gives blessing to Lina Wang's pet Dora. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
Dogs, cats, donkeys, ducklings and a lizard listened attentively as they occupied the pews of the 120-year-old Anglican church.
The annual Blessing of the Animals saw more than 100 people attending with their pets, and Reverend Cate Thorn explains the history of the event.
"We do the blessing of the animals the closest Sunday to St. Francis Day, October the 4th. What we do is we have different causes. Last year was to do with the guinea pigs and the year before was mobility dogs and this year with the donkey trust."
She said the church was built with wood and stone and was capable of hosting the animals inside.
"Most of us have animals at home. It's always been a tradition for blessing animals. A lot of places do it outside, but we do it inside."
St. Francis of Assisi is patron saint of animals and ecology, and Aucklanders from across the city brought their pets to receive the blessing.
Six-year-old Sophia Woodley rescued her ducklings from a warehouse in New Lynn and she wants them to live a good life.
Cousins Hugo Booth and Sophia Woodley with Sophia's rescue ducklings. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"The thinnest one is Cookie, and the one with a little bit of orange on its beak is Rosie, and the biggest one is Summer."
Sandra Murphy is with her seven-year-old Oscar, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Sandra Murphy is attending the blessing with Oscar. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"I don't think it extends only to the animal that you brought or the pet, but it also acknowledges the love and care that we provide for them and how we practice as Christians in our life."
Michael Stevens brought Agnes, a six-and-half-year-old Greyhound. He was happy to see Agnes interacting with the other pets.
Michael Stevens with his Greyhound, Agnes. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"It's just a nice way to do something social with your animal inclusively, And it's St. Francis's Feast Day, so it's appropriate."
For Ash Nishimura, getting her cat Toffee blessed meant a lot.
Ash and Priestine Nishmura with their cat Toffee. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"Because he's a blessing to us, like he's a lifesaver for me and for us. So getting that acknowledged and getting him blessed means a lot to us."
And Susan Gu from Beachlands wanted the blessing to extend further.
Susan Gu with her dog Sasha, and Lina Wang with her dog Dora are attending the blessing for good health to all animals. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"We want to help all the animals healthy, happy."
Reverend Cate said the special event was an opportunity to recognise the important role that pets played in our lives.
"I think there's two things. One is it gives them a chance to bring their pet in a still and thankful way for blessing the pet in their lives. One is that it's just a nice gathering that people who live in the city or live around with pets know that they can bring their pets and they are welcomed.
Susan and Murray Pollen with their third Labrador, Rosie. They are attending the blessing to support the donkeys and to remember the dogs that passed. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"I think there's also that thing about the lost pets. So that they can be thankful for the pets because they really miss them. And it's a real acknowledgement that pets are part of our lives. We don't usually bring them to church, but this is an opportunity to do that. In a sense it's about them actually being a blessing to the world, understanding that because they love their pets, they can change how they live in the world and be responsible in a wider way for nature."
The Donkey and Mule Protection Trust is fundraising at the event, and chair Prudence Hunter said there was a lot to know about donkeys.
Prudence Hunter and Pauline Sainsbury from Donkey & Mule Protection Trust wants to raise awareness about donkeys and mules across New Zealand. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"The first thing is you must have two. It's very important to have two donkeys. Donkeys are fine with a horse or a goat, but having another donkey is really, really important to them. The second thing is that grass is their enemy to a degree. You've got to minimise the amount of grass they have, and that's because they're desert animals. They're supposed to be out in the desert, not living in the lush pastures of New Zealand. So that requires a certain amount of management, feeding them with hay and barley straw.
This year's Blessing of the Animals was to fundraise for the Donkey and Mule Protection Trust. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
"The third thing is that while they are quite labour intensive, they are so worth it. They are the most gentle, intelligent, caring, loving, trusting animals. Once you've got your donkey's trust, you can pretty much do anything with it."
Peter Van Dijk with his donkey, Storm. Photo: Ke-Xin Li
This year's blessing had plenty of noise, but Reverend Cate said the animals - and humans - behaved well.
"We usually have one or two dogs that bark, and this year they did. And like the ducklings were put at the front because there were lots of hunting dogs. It's nice to have other animals as well."
The church had mop prepared, but by the time First Up left, it seems that was not needed.
