Cats, dog and stick insects blessed at pet church service

Dogs, cats, rabbits and stick insects were blessed with holy water and given a blessing at church on Sunday.

More than 50 people attended the special pet service with their furry (and not so furry) friends at Holy Trinity Church in Cookham.

Pets, accompanied by their owners gathered at the paddock before moving into the church for pet-friendly hymns, a reading and a blessing for every pet. 

Vicar Nick Plant said: "It lasted about 30 minutes and we blessed every pet with holy water — the cats didn't like it so much but the dogs loved it.

"We also had an 11-week old puppy and stick insects, they were the star of the show.

"Some of the dogs joined in with the hymns with their barking.

"We held it on the Sunday closest to St Francis day, the patron saint for animals.

"The service is a way for us to engage with people who wouldn't usually come to church and show them it's not such a scary place as they might think."