WASHINGTON, D.C.-—Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington National Cathedral and The Venerable Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa will bless dogs and cats waiting for homes at a D.C. shelter Saturday, November 3, on the eve of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (November 4-10).

The 3 pm blessing at Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) is part of a national campaign designed by the Humane Society of the United States to acknowledge and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services.

Bishop Chane is the eighth bishop of Washington and prays to build on the tradition of social justice and mission outreach established by his predecessors.

Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa fled Tibet in 1959 when the Chinese invaded. He personally chose to attend the blessing, admiring WARL’s ongoing rescue efforts of animals from overburdened shelters in Louisiana. After touring New Orleans in October of 2006, he drew many similarities of the plight of the people and animals of the Gulf region to his own exile. He is a former abbott of the Gyumed Tantric College and currently is a senior monk at Sera Mey Monastery, India and resident teacher of the Guhyasamaja Center in D.C.

Christine Gutleben, director of the Animals and Religion Department at the Humane Society of the United States, will also offer remarks during the blessing as will WARL Executive Director Scotlund Haisley.

WARL is one of the country’s most humane, animal-friendly facilities for dogs and cats in transition. After a recent $4 million renovation, it is now one of the largest and busiest animal adoption agencies in the Northeast.

For more information on Washington National Cathedral please link to www.nationalcathedral.org.

To learn about the Guhyasamaja Center, please link to http://guhyasamaja.org. Information about the Humane Society of the United States can be found at www.hsus.org.

To view available animals and learn more about Washington Animal Rescue League, please link to www.warl.org.