Friday, July 23, 2010

Can a dog receive communion?


St. Peter’s Anglican Church has long been known as an open and inclusive place.

So open, it seems, they won’t turn anyone away. Not even a dog.

That’s how a blessed canine ended up receiving communion from interim priest Rev. Marguerite Rea during a morning service the last Sunday in June.

According to those in attendance at the historical church at 188 Carlton St. in downtown Toronto, it was a spontaneous gesture, one intended to make both the dog and its owner – a first timer at the church — feel welcomed. But at least one parishioner saw the act as an affront to the rules and regulations of the Anglican Church. He filed a complaint with the reverend and with the Anglican Diocese of Toronto about the incident – and has since left the church.

“I wrote back to the parishioner that it is not the policy of the Anglican Church to give communion to animals,” said Bishop Patrick Yu, the area bishop of York-Scarborough responsible for St. Peter’s, who received the complaint in early July. “I can see why people would be offended. It is a strange and shocking thing, and I have never heard of it happening before.

“I think the reverend was overcome by what I consider a misguided gesture of welcoming.”

Rev. Rea was contacted numerous times about the incident, but did not want to comment.

“She is quite embarrassed by it,” said Yu.


To read more, click here.

I love it. Radical inclusion at its best!

2 comments:

RMBruton said...

Robin,
I just knew that you were looking for a chance to use that picture. My short answer, to the question posed by the article, is simply no. Transubstantiated or otherwise. For the handful of folks who still really accept the Articles of Religion, the answer has to be no.

JimB said...

The lady has apologized and admitted error. Her bishop is accepting her contrition. Now if only bloggers would.

No, besides dogs do not need communion. They are not the ones who screwed up!

FWIW
jimB