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homerhorizon.com LIFE & ARTS
the Homer Horizon | August 31, 2017 | 21
Pet blessing at Cross of Glory dedicated to beloved animals
Donations collected
for local TLC Animal
Shelter by church
Jason Maholy
Freelance Reporter
They love us unconditionally,
demonstrate faithfulness
and think we are the
greatest, regardless of how
we look or what kind of car
we drive.
Children? Perhaps when
they are young and at their
most innocent, and then
again beyond the rebellious
and anxiety-ridden, selfconscious
teenage years.
In honor of these devoted
members of the family, the
Rev. Dana O’Brien invited
these furry family members
to a special pet blessing
service at Cross of Glory
Church. The Aug. 20 petcentric
service featured
songs dedicated to creatures
big and small and part of
the services collection was
donated to the TLC Animal
Shelter in Homer Glen.
O’Brien also made her
rounds through the congregation
— gathered outdoors
on a pleasant, sunny
morning — and personally
blessed every dog in attendance.
While dogs were the
only animals in attendance,
O’Brien did bless photographs
of pets that could not
or did not make the trip.
She also delivered a message
in which she compared
the love pets show their
owners with the love God
shows humankind.
“We talk about this being
a pet blessing,” she said,
“but it is often our pets that
bless us.”
The occasion was the first
of what the church plans to
make an annual tradition.
“They demonstrate unconditional
love, faithfulness
and presence,” O’Brien
said after the service. “And
they’re like members of
somebody’s family, so we
want to acknowledge that
pets are loved by God and
created by God.”
Earlier, during her message
to the congregation,
O’Brien noted what every
dog owner knows — that
upon walking through the
door, his or her furry family
member will race to the door
and excitedly greet them.
“It doesn’t matter if
you’ve been gone five days
or five minutes,” she said.
“The things that impress
people don’t make a bit of
difference to them. They accept
us for who we are, and
they don’t feel the need to
change us.
“They think we’re just the
greatest thing next to sliced
bread ... even if we gain a
couple of pounds,” she added,
drawing laughter from
the people gathered.
Homer Glen resident Jennie
Hoffman and her son,
Evan, brought their labradoodle,
Charlie, and dachshund,
Ginger, to the service.
“My dogs love being outside,
and I love being able
to be here with them,” Hoffman
said. “This is truly a
congregation where everyone
enjoys all human life,
and animals, and it’s just a
very good place to be. And
the blessing was very nice. I
wish we could bring them all
the time.”
Bonnie and Rob Petrick
did not bring their pet, and
instead came to church with
a ceramic-framed photo of
their 17-year-old cat. The
couple’s now-grown daughter,
Ashley, adopted the feline
from TLC when he was
just a kitten. Ashley eventually
went away to college
and graduate school and now
lives out of state and left the
Ariel Deal, 12, of Romeoville, pets Stella, a rat terrier owned by Robert Kirkland (left), at the Aug. 20 pet blessing held at
Cross of Glory Church in Homer Glen. Photos by Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media
cat with her parents when
she moved.
“So he loves me now — not
her so much, and not him, either,”
Bonnie joked, referring
to her daughter and husband.
“He’s been with us for a long,
long time. I didn’t want to
bring him because we would
have had to bring a carrier,
and he’s not used to being
outside or being on a leash.”
O’Brien’s point throughout
the pet blessing was
that pets are the most perfect
example of God’s unconditional
and everlasting
love for humankind, and at
the same time reflect how
people should approach their
relationship with Him. They
demonstrate what it means
to fully and unhesitatingly
trust something else and rely
on that something else for
everything.
The Rev. Dana O’Brien blesses Fern, who is being held by her owner, Lemont resident Jeff
Wandersen.
“They don’t worry where
their next meal will come
from, or who will take them
for a walk, because they
trust us,” she said. “They can
teach us how to live in relationship
with God. We hopefully
can learn to trust God
the way our pets trust us.”