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"Celebration and Blessing of the Animals”"Walking" Beside and on the Side of a Nonhuman Animal,
Animal Ministry Committee
The UCN chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry will lead an intergenerational, participatory service on the “Celebration and Blessing of the Animals” downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. The service offers us an opportunity to manifest our commitment to the UU core value of Interdependence, which promises care, respect, mutuality, and justice toward “all beings.”
Pet keepers: please bring pets who are well-behaved and, to the best of your understanding, will be comfortable in an indoor, multispecies public setting with music and all the other parts of a Sunday service. Or bring a photo, drawing, toy, collar, story, etc. of the pet. If you are not the petkeeping type, consider celebrating an individual wild, zoo, farm, or other type of animal—or group of animals—with whom you feel a special kinship. In place of the animal(s), bring a photo (e.g., of a particular bird or squirrel frequenting your trees or bird feeders), drawing, or story about the individual or group.
Animals will be blessed individually and in a group. In a brief sermon, Helena Pycior will explore the challenging, potentially spiritual practice of getting to know animals as individuals, each with his/her own life history, feelings, preferences, idiosyncrasies, and so on. Empathy and our core value of Interdependence—informed by research results coming from ethologists, animal psychologists, neuroscientists, and humanities scholars—can guide our practice.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
13800 N. Port Washington Road (County Hwy W), Mequon, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53097
