First held on November 28, 1929, Grace Episcopal Church was one of the first churches in the country to have a “Blessing of the Hounds” service–a tradition that has continued each Thanksgiving Day since.
By the late 1700’s in England, foxhunting had taken on the forms that remain today. It has been a popular sport in Virginia since colonial times, and it continues customs and traditions that are mostly English in origin. The blessing of hunting hounds is an ancient practice that today features traditions and rituals developed over the centuries. After the foxhunters, their horses and hounds, and even the foxes have been blessed, the hunt begins. All who attend “The Blessing of the Hounds” are welcome to follow across the road for a glimpse of this fascinating tradition.
The Episcopal Church Women serve cider, and hot chocolate in the Parish Hall before and after the Blessing of the Hounds service.
It is an exciting event and will be a great way to begin your Thanksgiving celebration!
By the late 1700’s in England, foxhunting had taken on the forms that remain today. It has been a popular sport in Virginia since colonial times, and it continues customs and traditions that are mostly English in origin. The blessing of hunting hounds is an ancient practice that today features traditions and rituals developed over the centuries. After the foxhunters, their horses and hounds, and even the foxes have been blessed, the hunt begins. All who attend “The Blessing of the Hounds” are welcome to follow across the road for a glimpse of this fascinating tradition.
The Episcopal Church Women serve cider, and hot chocolate in the Parish Hall before and after the Blessing of the Hounds service.
It is an exciting event and will be a great way to begin your Thanksgiving celebration!
2020 Blessing of the Hounds will be held on Thursday, November 26th
at 10 a.m.
2019 Blessing of the Hounds
The ninety-first Blessing of the Hounds service was held on Thanksgiving morning, November 28th, at 10:00 a.m. This was a beautiful fall service of worship and thanksgiving and was well-attended by the friends of Grace and the general public (approximately nine hundred people including T.V. news networks).
The following agencies will receive the offering from the Blessing of the Hounds’ service:
Hope’s Legacy www.hopeslegacy.com
434-531-5688
5145 Taylor Creek Road, Afton, VA 22920
We estimate, based on the 215,000 horses in Virginia, that about 4,000 are unwanted or at risk every year. Horse rescue is a continuous hidden need in Virginia. Hope’s Legacy receives 5 to 10 phone calls every week asking us to take an animal. We are limited in the number we can bring in by funding, space and volunteer hours. So far in 2019 we’ve rescued 45 equines and currently have 33 horses and donkeys in residence.
Since 2008, Hope’s Legacy has rescued, rehabilitated and adopted out 250 horses, donkeys, miniature horses and ponies. We are a community resource for Animal Control agencies and private citizens throughout Virginia, but mainly in central Virginia: Albemarle, Orange, Culpeper, Greene, Nelson counties and the Shenandoah Valley. We take in animals like Dezi, who was starved and neglected by her owner and is currently recovering with us. Or Amber, a 20+-year-old Arabian rehabilitated at Hope’s Legacy in 2017, who has gone on to become a ribbon-winning jumper with her new adopter/owner Taylor.
Hope’s Legacy operates with 2 employees, a 5-member Board, and 40 awe-inspiring volunteers who feed, groom, water, and bathe horses; muck stalls, clear brush, bush-hog, paint, build, plumb, mow, fundraise, and so much more. Our volunteers have posted over 2300 hours already this year!
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of CENTRAL BLUE RIDGE
http://www.blueridgebigs.org 434-244- 0882
1102 Carlton Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
Our vision: All children achieve success in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the area’s leading provider of evidence-based mentoring, our agency makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 16, in the Charlottesville and Albemarle communities.
The mission: To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters promotes higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors; and educational success. For more information see the results of the national study. http://www.blueridgebigs.org/our-impact
Volunteer are needed: http://www.blueridgebigs.org/volunteer
Volunteers are interviewed, trained and continually supervised. They must pass a criminal records check. There is a special need for Big Brothers. More than 60 percent of our children waiting for a Big are boys, but only 3 out of every 10 inquiries to volunteer come from men. Disproportionately, the children we serve and those waiting to be matched are African American and Hispanic boys. Their parents seek our support, knowing a Big Brother can recognize their son’s potential and model positive choices that put him on the path for success in and out of school.
434-531-5688
5145 Taylor Creek Road, Afton, VA 22920
We estimate, based on the 215,000 horses in Virginia, that about 4,000 are unwanted or at risk every year. Horse rescue is a continuous hidden need in Virginia. Hope’s Legacy receives 5 to 10 phone calls every week asking us to take an animal. We are limited in the number we can bring in by funding, space and volunteer hours. So far in 2019 we’ve rescued 45 equines and currently have 33 horses and donkeys in residence.
Since 2008, Hope’s Legacy has rescued, rehabilitated and adopted out 250 horses, donkeys, miniature horses and ponies. We are a community resource for Animal Control agencies and private citizens throughout Virginia, but mainly in central Virginia: Albemarle, Orange, Culpeper, Greene, Nelson counties and the Shenandoah Valley. We take in animals like Dezi, who was starved and neglected by her owner and is currently recovering with us. Or Amber, a 20+-year-old Arabian rehabilitated at Hope’s Legacy in 2017, who has gone on to become a ribbon-winning jumper with her new adopter/owner Taylor.
Hope’s Legacy operates with 2 employees, a 5-member Board, and 40 awe-inspiring volunteers who feed, groom, water, and bathe horses; muck stalls, clear brush, bush-hog, paint, build, plumb, mow, fundraise, and so much more. Our volunteers have posted over 2300 hours already this year!
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of CENTRAL BLUE RIDGE
http://www.blueridgebigs.org 434-244- 0882
1102 Carlton Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
Our vision: All children achieve success in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge operates under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the area’s leading provider of evidence-based mentoring, our agency makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 16, in the Charlottesville and Albemarle communities.
The mission: To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters promotes higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors; and educational success. For more information see the results of the national study. http://www.blueridgebigs.org/our-impact
Volunteer are needed: http://www.blueridgebigs.org/volunteer
Volunteers are interviewed, trained and continually supervised. They must pass a criminal records check. There is a special need for Big Brothers. More than 60 percent of our children waiting for a Big are boys, but only 3 out of every 10 inquiries to volunteer come from men. Disproportionately, the children we serve and those waiting to be matched are African American and Hispanic boys. Their parents seek our support, knowing a Big Brother can recognize their son’s potential and model positive choices that put him on the path for success in and out of school.
Volunteering
The volunteer hours are 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. We want you to be able to worship, enjoy, and attend the service with family and friends, so please consider being a volunteer before the service. We are flexible. Please sign-up in the Parish Hall, call Alison Walden at 434.295.0551, or send an e-mail to alisonwalden@yahoo.com.
This can be a great family event and fun time!
It promises to be an exciting day and will be a wonderful way to begin your Thanksgiving celebration!
It promises to be an exciting day and will be a wonderful way to begin your Thanksgiving celebration!
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