With hymns, prayers, barks and wags, Oakland church celebrates the annual Blessing of Animals

Standing at an altar decorated with stuffed animals and candles placed around a Bible, Rena Rickles clutched a framed collage of herself and her husband next to images of their dogs. Her husband had given it to her for Valentine’s Day. He called it “Puppy Love.”

“This is Huckleberry at four months, where his mom had to go to a bachelor party. We bonded over that weekend, and he was the most loving, loyal, creative dog. We lost him last summer,” Rickles said, pointing to the picture. “Then there’s Sophie, who was diagnosed with cancer at 7 ½ and lived to be 16. And she had a sweet 16 party. And there’s Haley, who is about to turn 17. She was adopted from a First Nation reservation because they lost power and all the puppies would have died. This is our puppy love.”

In the heart of the Oakland hills, furry friends and people of different faiths came together on Sunday to celebrate and honor “the sacred importance of all living creatures.” The Rev. Laurie Manning led the congregation through songs, prayers, barks, and wags for Skyline Community Church’s 27th annual Blessing of the Animals service.

Pants and whines added background vocals to the choir as the song “All God’s Critters” filled the church. An array of animals — snakes, toucans, mice, gerbils, geckos — have attended the event before. This year, dogs dominated, from a beautiful three-legged golden retriever to a pup named Pirate with different colored eyes. Manning’s own kitten, Oliver, was the exception.

“It’s deeper than just tradition,” Manning said. “We humans are animals and we believe that animals are our teachers. And I think they have so much to offer us in a world and a country that’s so polarized about love and forgiveness and how to live fully in the present moment.”

Blessings were given privately after the service concluded, with Manning offering a unique prayer to each animal, whispering words of affirmation and gratitude.

Churches around the world celebrate the Blessing of the Animals around Oct.4, the feast day of Saint Francis, patron saint of animals. Skyline’s Blessing of the Animals began with passionate animal lovers Kay Gilliland and Rhea Babbit. A quarter of a century later, the service was still reminding humans of the lessons our animals teach us.

At Skyline, attendees ranged not just in denomination, but in religion, a testimony to the power animals have to draw people together.

“It feels like a reunion that transcends religious boundaries,” Manning said.

Those in attendance were given a platform to share both their joys and their sorrows. Several gave touching testimonies, clutching framed pictures of pets now gone but not forgotten. 

“Pepper was with us for 12 years. When we first got him, he had a cough. We took him to the vet. We thought it was kennel cough, and it turned out he had ciliary dyskinesia,” Darlene DeManicor told an empathetic audience. “The vet said he would only live for four years. And for 12 years, we nursed him, we cared for him, and we loved him more than anything on earth. We lost him last month.”

Despite the sad moments, the service was uplifting, filled with the joy dogs seem to carry with them.

“I really don’t think that we’re blessing them,” Manning said. “They bless us every single day.”

BART says it’s taken steps to avoid a repeat of the Sept. 5 systemwide shutdown