Beasts Blessed at Annual Church Event

At a church that welcomes atheists as well as Christians, it was almost fitting to see beagles mingling with Akitas and poodles playing with chow chows Sunday at the annual animal blessing at Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society in North Hills.

“We’re blessing them because most people treat [their pets] like property, but they’re not,” said Emma Rosloff, 12, who helped conduct the ceremony. “People don’t respect animals enough.”

Emma, who has a silver tabby, led prayers and song with her friend, Nicole Rorke, 12. The two girls blessed more than 20 pets, mostly dogs and a couple of chickens, around a sycamore tree in front of the Haskell Avenue church.

“This is an enormous day for the kids and it brings out the kids in the adults,” said Dayla Frazier, the society’s president. “We want to recognize the bond between animals and people.”

Frazier said the animal blessing has been done for the last 12 years at the church. Founded in 1963, the onion-shaped church has been a place of worship for the area’s Unitarians, whom Frazier described as an eclectic group.

“I came out of a Jewish background,” said Frazier, who brought her dog to be blessed. “We also have Catholics, every kind of Protestant, Muslims and atheists.”

Abolghassem Sadegh, a 61-year-old church trustee, was raised a Muslim and said Unitarianism was created to foster peace and friendship among people.

Congregants also used the event to donate blankets, pet beds and newspapers to be used by the East Valley Animal Shelter.