Episcopal Bishop and Tibetan Monk Will Offer Blessings Through All Stages of Animal Sheltering Process at Saturday Ceremony

 Washington, D.C. – In celebration of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, The Humane Society of the Unites States (HSUS) will join with The Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) in welcoming Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane and The Venerable Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa to a blessing service at WARL tomorrow.  The event is the first such ecumenical religious service to be held at an animal shelter.

"We are deeply honored to have Bishop Chane and Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche bless these animals," said Christine Gutleben, director of The HSUS' Animals & Religion department. "That Gyumed Rinpoche has traveled afar from India makes this occasion truly special.  This blessing reminds us of the joy animals bring to our lives, and acknowledges the plight of homelessness suffered by millions of animals who are in shelters across the country awaiting good homes."

The efforts to engage the religious community in critical animal protection issues through HSUS Animals & Religion, is based on the universally held principles of mercy and compassion.  All of the world's major religions encourage ethical behavior towards others, especially those who suffer and are powerless.  The HSUS believes that animals should be the subjects of this ethical consideration, as well. 

Throughout history, there have been religious figures who advocated for animals including St. Francis, John Wesley and William Wilberforce. Today, several denominations and faiths have official statements on animals while others are awakening to animal protection issues through the responsibilities of Creation Care.

The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane is the eighth Episcopal bishop of the Washington National Cathedral. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa fled Tibet in 1959 is currently a senior monk at Sera May Monastery in India, as well as a resident teacher of the Guhyasamaja Center in D.C. In 2006, he toured New Orleans just after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, where he drew many similarities of the plight of the people and animals to his own exile.

The 3 p.m. service will have each religious representative walking through the facility offering blessings for each of various stages of the sheltering process that an animal experiences on-site, including evaluation, medical care, housing and adoption.  It will end with a blessing of newly arriving homeless animals as they are transferred in from another shelter.

"We are very fortunate to have Bishop Chane and Gyumed Rinpoche blessing the animals at our shelter, a facility that encourages recovery and adoption," said Scotlund Haisley, executive director of the Washington Animal Rescue League. "At WARL, sick, traumatized and fearful animals quickly become the healthy, content and social companions they were meant to be all along. We are proud to have built the facility, and this blessing event will surely further the celebration of animals here."

Established 11 years ago by The HSUS, National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (Nov. 4-10) honors shelters and their dedicated staff across the country who serve an invaluable but often underappreciated role in America's communities. National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week is the first full week of every November.

For more information on HSUS Animals & Religion, visit humanesociety.org/religion.

Editors Note: Photos of the event will be available upon request.

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at humanesociety.org.