Doggies flock to Belfast Cathedral for pet blessing service

Monday October 13th 2025

The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev Stephen Forde, blesses one of the many dogs which came to Belfast Cathedral on October 12 for the annual Pets’ Service.

Doggies of many breeds and none came together to be blessed at Belfast Cathedral’s annual Pets’ Service on Sunday October 12. Check our our PHOTO GALLERY below.

While the service is open to pets of any variety, it was those of the canine nature who flocked through the doors of St Anne’s, bringing with them their humans who, we are pleased to report, all behaved extremely well!

Some of the doggies sat quietly on the floor or on their human’s knee, absorbing the atmosphere of the beautiful Cathedral, while others decided to put the acoustics to the test, a cacophony of joyous noise raising the roof of the Nave.

The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev Stephen Forde, and assisting clergy the Revs Cameron Mack, Janice Elsdon, Julie Bell, Bob Cotter and Canon Mark Taylor, were all undeterred by the odd bark emanating during a reading or prayer, and some might argue that the canine attendees added tunefully to the volume levels during the singing of the hymns All Things Bright and Beautiful and The Lord’s My Shepherd.

The visitors are to be commended too, by how they responded to the Choir’s Anthem, For the Beauty of the Earth, when canine heckling was suspended as every dog and every human present enjoyed the music.

When the time came for the blessing of the pets, doggies and humans queued patiently and politely for their turn.

In his introduction, Dean Forde said: “The Service of Thanksgiving and Blessing gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate God’s good creation, to remember our responsibilities for this world that we share with all his creatures, and to hear God speaking to us through everything he has made.

“Some pets have special roles in our lives – some help to save lives; some help humans to live with independence. Many of us have loved animals who have died and still grieve for them. The companionship, care and love shared between pets and their owners are all gifts given to us by God, given because he loves each human and animal he has made.

The Dean continued: “By blessing pets and their owners, we are asking God to cause their life together to flourish, confident that this is God’s desire for all his creatures.”