Saturday’s congregations at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer and St. Martin’s Anglican Church included some four-legged friends as the two parishes conducted their annual blessing of the animals.
The 17th edition of the event, organized by the two churches, is an interdenominational service open to all Calgarians.
Members of the public, accompanied by their furry friends, gathered to receive a blessing. Among the recipients was a member of the Calgary Police Service, Stryder the horse, whose handler brings him to the service every year.
“God certainly gave us some great animals for pleasure and for work,” says Acting Sgt. Garth Blais, “and Stryder is a little bit of both for us.”
Sgt. Blais attended the service equipped with a shovel in case Stryder had an accident inside the church.
