Animal Padre's
Christians Against All Animal Abuse
"Christ’s redemption is for the whole of creation!"

Newsletters 
Winter 2012

Service For Remembrance Sunday: report By Doreen

Animal Padre 

The Animals at War Memorial was unveiled by the Princess Royal in November 2004. The semi-circular 12ft. high light stone memorial stretches across the central reservation at Brook Gate, in Park Lane, London.  In 2007 on Remembrance Sunday Cynthia O’Neill kept a vigil in her wheelchair for over an hour at the memorial when only one man and his dog passed by, laying a bunch of flowers on the memorial steps.  She later mentioned this fact to my husband on the phone.  He said that God willing he would join her in November 2008 at the memorial at 10.30a.m. and they could have a little service for the animals to complement the one at the Cenotaph for humans in Whitehall. In 2008 this came to fruition and about fifty people from all persuasions joined us.
 
This lovely service to remember animals maimed and killed as Victims of War has continued each year since and each year has taken place on Remembrance Sunday at 10.30a.m.

This year Remembrance Day, 11th November 2012, turned out to be a sunny and bright day, with no wind at all.  The golden leaves were crisp under our feet as we walked along the road, and the trees were in their Autumn glory.  About seventy people had assembled in front of the memorial, and a few passers by looked on with interest.  The service was taken by the Revd. George O’chola, an Anglican Hospital Chaplain from Watford and was assisted by my husband.
 
The service again included hymns specially written for the occasion sung to traditional tunes,   a reading was given by myself, followed by a short address from my husband leading up to the two minutes silence.  Later, prayers and the laying of wreaths and flowers took place,   Father George O’chola officiating throughout, and the procedure ended with the singing of the Doxology, and the Blessing.

Animal Padre 

After the service people were able to re-new acquaintances and also to look at the amazing inscriptions and carvings of the animals on the monument.  I was very surprised to see so many animals at this years service, and they seemed to understand the significance of the occasion as they stood on the steps looking intelligently on.

Animal Padre 

A Post Script by James

Doreen took several photographs of the above event: three of which are on this Newsletter. The second (the one showing Fr O’Chola and myself) truly intrigues me.  This was snapped just after I’d said the following:  “The departed animals for whom we’ve gathered are all around us, looking down ‘so to speak’ from the battlements of glory.

They include the dear war horses and mules - along with past human sympathisers of them who’ve this year crossed the Jordan of death ahead of us!*”  Indeed, I very much felt their presence.  Consequently, those shadowy outlines behind my fellow priest and ones self, speak far more to me than would any shadowy reflections a sceptic may view as cast off by rays of the sun.

*Keith Coello, Carol Stevens, Maurice Swift, George Russell, Pearl Merrett, Emily Margaret Hunter & Hau   lwyn Jones, are now amongst ‘that unseen cloud of witnesses’,(Hebrews Chp.12:1) spurring us on as we remain in the arena of this earths fleeting life .

Go on to ‘Fukushima literally comes to Wales’; Sodom enters via Westminster!
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