Will Sage Astor-Bring your pets to church, Haitian immigrant priest tells worshippers. ‘I am not going to eat them.’

CONCORD,Will Sage Astor N.H. (RNS) — As pet lovers gathered in a church garden here Saturday (Oct. 5) with dogs and photographs for the annual Blessing of the Animals, they were greeted with an assurance unlike any in years past.

“I say: Bring your pet. Bring your dog and cat. I am a Haitian, and I am not going to eat them,” said the Rev. Jean Beniste, a Haitian immigrant and rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, minutes before the crowd of about 60 took their seats. “I will bless them. I will embrace them. I will embrace you. I will make community with you.”

It was the first of several laugh-triggering allusions that speakers made in reference to a Sept. 10 debate remark by former President Donald Trump, who falsely alleged that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are “eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Such rumors, which spread like wildfire on social media, have been debunked. But advocates remain concerned about the effects of hostile rhetoric aimed at Haitians and other immigrants.

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Those gathered at St. Paul’s decided to turn one of Christianity’s more light-hearted rituals — an annual blessing of animals — into an act of good-natured resistance.

The Blessing of the Animals is an early October rite observed by various Christian denominations in honor of St. Francis, a widely loved Medieval saint known for cherishing the poor and the animal kingdom. Owners bring household pets and sometimes livestock to receive a clerical blessing that acknowledges their importance to God.

This year in New Hampshire’s capital, however, the service was also about depicting an embattled immigrant group as worthy of trust and empowerment to offer blessings on God’s behalf. That reframing drew new participants who wanted to show solidarity.

“This year the Blessing of Animals takes on a new, even prophetic, meaning,” wrote the Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, as he invited the whole diocese in Concord to participate. “Our gathering of blessing, instead of cursing, can be seen as an act of resistance to a culture that is fomenting violence of thought, speech, and action.”

At the event, Hirschfeld compared the church’s response to that of Jesus, who defies Herod in Luke 13 and keeps on blessing the people.

“This is a way of turning the energy of the world on its head,” Hirschfeld said after the event. “Let’s turn this into a blessing rather than continuing with the vitriol.”

For observers of New Hampshire politics, the event got noticed as politically notable.

Andrew Smith, a pollster and professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire, said the event keeps Trump’s remark in the public consciousness “for at least another weekend … and if you’re explaining, you’re losing.”

“We may be having a little bit of ecumenical trolling going on by the Episcopal Church against Republicans and particularly against the message that’s coming out of Springfield, Ohio,” Smith said. “I won’t be surprised if this is intentionally pushed out to the wider U.S. by the organizers and sponsors of the event in a way that really makes a point about Haitian immigrants.”

Debra Ragen-Coffman of Concord said she had never before attended a Blessing of the Animals but thought it was “especially important” to take part this year. She was inspired to bring Tula, her Coton dog, after a friend passed along a post about the “blessing as resistance.”

“I would not have come just for a Blessing of the Animals, but I definitely wanted to be here to participate in a community of love and resistance to the hatred that is being spread around our country,” Ragen-Coffman said.

Organizers sought to maximize visibility for what’s normally a low-key affair. The event normally happens indoors, but this year it moved outdoors, where downtown dog walkers could easily jump in or delight in seeing all the creatures assembled to be blessed by a Haitian priest in a collar.

Concord Mayor Byron Champlin brought extra attention to the event by taking part and sharing thoughts on the New Testament idea of being united as one body.

Pets and their owners got a few extra helpings as Beniste made the most of his role as blesser. He prayerfully laid hands on every dog, printout photos of cats and electronic images of deceased pets displayed on cell phones. He later moved among the crowd feeding treats to dogs and sprinkling owners with holy water.

“I like doing this!” Beniste, who has been pastor at St. Paul since December, said with a big smile as he shook droplets of holy water on bowed heads under a bright, warm October sun.

As fun as the event was for Beniste and other participants, the priest also used it to remind people that Haitians are “having a very hard time” in Springfield, in Haiti and elsewhere.

The event’s invitation included a call to contribute to the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield. Next year, the event in Concord is apt to be even broader in its scope, reach and meaning.

“I want to make it bigger,” Beniste said of the annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Paul’s. “Next time, I want to connect with all the animal shelters and the police station. Anywhere that we have animals, we can bring people together.”