By Mary O’KEEFE

On Sunday, Oct. 4 St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church was one of the happiest places on Earth as Sadler Hall was filled with the sound of happy barking. 

“There are dogs everywhere. Somebody is holding a leash in one hand and a bulletin in the other, and losing that argument,” said Guy Leemhuis, vicar of St. Luke’s. “I call [my dogs] four-footed babies. I have never been able to make the word ‘pet’ fit.”

Sunday was the Blessing of the Animals at St. Luke’s, although the humans felt they were the ones blessed. 

“Your dog does not love you more on your good days and less on your bad ones. She/he does not keep score. She/he loves you the same when you come home late, when you are short with her/him, when you have nothing left to give but a tired hand on her head. That is unconditional love. You have been receiving it for years, in your own living room,” Leemhuis said. “And that is exactly the love God is asking of us. The same love – turned back toward God, turned toward our neighbor – and this is the hard one: turned toward ourselves.”

There were a lot of dogs, from Great Danes to a little Pomeranian, were all just happy to be with their person and at church getting a lot of attention. Many brought photos of their pets including cats, mice and snakes – Judy Snake to be exact. 

“So bring them forward. Lift up your pictures and let us bless these babies,” Leemhuis said. “Let us thank God for how long they have been blessing us.”