The Lead

It is said that dogs have masters but cats have staff. At the Washington National Cathedral, a cat is a member of the staff. During this weekend's Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis, there will be a changing of the guard.

Washington National Cathedral’s 2010 Blessing of the Animals will officially welcome Carmina, the new Cathedral cat adopted by the Cathedral Choral Society from the Washington Humane Society (WHS). The event marks the seven hundred thirty-fourth anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, whose feast day the Cathedral celebrates with its Blessing of the Animals service on Sunday, October 3, at 2:30 pm, on the Cathedral’s west steps. All pets and their caretakers are invited to attend.
“Carmina takes the place of Catherine of Tarragon, the much-beloved Cathedral cat who has retired in her old age to a home in North Carolina,” said Cathedral Choral Society staffer Victoria Chamberlin.

Chamberlin led the charge for the Choral Society, the resident symphonic chorus of the Cathedral, to adopt Carmina during its audience sing-along of Carmina Burana last June.

“WHS rescued Carmina and her litter of week-old kittens from a deserted parking lot in Southeast D.C.,” said WHS spokesperson Sabrina Fang. “We’re thrilled that Carmina has found a home as beautiful as the National Cathedral.” All of Carmina’s kittens have found adoptive homes.

Lois Wye, board member of the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) will participate in the brief service led by the Rev. Gwendolyn W. Tobias, along with Christine Gutleben of the Humane Society of the United States. Following the service, attendees may present their companion animals for individual blessings by Cathedral clergy.

Surely the National Cathedral is not the only Episcopal church blessed with a staff cat or parish dog. Tell us of the animals who grace your congregation.

Comments (6)

Here at All Saints' in Chicago (www.allsaintschicago.org) we are blessed to have two canine staff members. Owen, a Miniature Longhaired Dachshund, is our Assistant Sexton and Izzy, an Australian Shepherd, is our Staff Shepherd. Both are much loved and valued members of our staff and have their own mailbox in the office where they keep treats, tennis balls, etc. To read more about Izzy and Owen, visit www.allsaintschicago.org/staff.php

Posted by Beau Surratt | October 1, 2010 9:11 AM

When I worked in Jackson WY we had a cat named Archie- Archbishop of Catterbury. He was a lovely black and white cat - with one of the longest tails I have ever seen on a cat.

Posted by Ann Fontaine | October 1, 2010 9:31 AM

At Trinity, Easton, PA, we had a cat on staff for a long time.

His name was Moses because when he was a kitten he was left on the church doorstep in wicker basket.

He served the church for many years before spending his retirement years in a parishioners home. After his death, his ashes were interred near his favorite spot in the garden next to the parish offices.

Andrew Gerns

Posted by ATGerns | October 1, 2010 11:27 AM

Siobhan, my standard poodle is the official greeter at St.Thomas, Reidsville NC. She even has her picture in the parish directory.

Posted by Vicki Smith | October 1, 2010 11:52 AM

My neighbors at Grace Church in Anniston, Ala., have a wonderful cat, Grace, who often has her own column in the newsletter. Take a look at her on their web site:
http://www.graceanniston.org/staff/

Michael Rich

Posted by Padre Michael | October 1, 2010 1:14 PM

St. Thomas the Apostle in Dallas TX for many years had a church cat named Dionysus. Although he had a family in the neighborhood, he kept office hours with the staff and was on the grounds for services, group meetings and social activities. He occasionally attended the Eucharist at 8am on Sundays and on Wednesday evenings. He believed that pastoral counseling always went better when there was a cat to scratch. Most than once he fell asleep in some hidden corner of the office. Long after everyone was gone, he would wake up and stretch, which would trip the security system's motion sensor, resulting in a late night trip to the church by the rector. He is rejoicing with the saints now, and is greatly missed.

Posted by Christianne McKee | October 1, 2010 4:53 PM

Add your comments

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Reminder: At Episcopal Café, we hope to establish an ethic of transparency by requiring all contributors and commentators to make submissions under their real names. For more details see our Feedback Policy.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

CATEGORIES

Organizations