A Church of England priest has formed a perfect marriage between her scientific talent, her love of animals and her faith by combining her role as a priest with a full-time job as a veterinary pathologist. Self-titled “Rev Vet,” the Rev Dr Jenny McKay, 54, wears her dog collar in the laboratory at the diagnostic veterinary healthcare company where she works, and is known for having sheep and chickens in church, where she regularly performs animal blessings.
Jenny, who lives in Cheshire, with her GP practice manager husband Dave Davenport, 57, and their three cats, said: “It’s a special role called a Minister in Secular Employment, where you work for the church some of the time and the rest you bring your priestly experience into your other workplace.”
By day, Jenny can be found studying animals’ biopsy samples in a busy laboratory. But in the evenings and at weekends, she preaches to packed pews, as well as “spreading the church’s lessons” via social media.
With her father a church organist, she grew up with a strong faith in her native Northern Ireland, where her love for animals developed alongside. She said: “I knew I wanted to be a vet from when I was a tiny tot.
"Even while I was still at school, I’d go to the local veterinary practice to see what they were up to. I just had this pull towards working with animals.”
While she was studying for a degree in veterinary science, Jenny stopped routinely attending church, going on to work at a veterinary practice in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. She explained: “My faith never left me. However, I did think through things a lot more. I am a scientist. I didn’t lose my faith, but I questioned everything. Is there a God? Why is there suffering?
“I finally came to a point where, scientifically, I know I believe there is a God. For me, the proof is in the complexity of the universe. From a scientific point of view, I can rationalise a God. Of course, there’s no direct evidence, but from there it’s a question for your soul.”
Jenny continued to attend church sporadically as she gained a Ph.D. in veterinary neuropathology from the University of Cambridge and focussed her work on veterinary pathology – a field that investigates and diagnoses medical issues in animals.
Just as Jenny’s career was flourishing, she received a shock diagnosis. She said: “I was 40 when I was told I had breast cancer. It was a complete shock. I was this very, very busy person with such a full-on career. Suddenly, that all came to a grinding halt.”
Diagnosed with grade 2 breast cancer that required treatment with a lumpectomy, lymph node removal, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Jenny found herself unexpectedly off work for nine months and facing the most difficult time of her life. She said: “I had been attending my local church on and off. Suddenly, when I became ill and had a lot of time on my hands, it became really important to me. And I realised I felt this calling to do something more for the church.”
But, while she wanted to perform a role in the church, Jenny was not ready to let her full-time job go. Attending a part-time evening course about roles in the Church of England to help clarify her feelings, she went to a lecture given by a priest who was also a full-time headteacher.
It was then that Jenny realised it could be possible to combine her professional work and her religious calling. She said: “I’d never even known that it could be done.”
After many interviews and much discussion with the Church of England, she was able to begin training part-time around her main career. and became a deacon in 2019, qualifying as a fully-fledged priest in 2020. Now her whirlwind weeks can entail presiding at weddings and funerals, with two Sundays a month seeing her deliver sermons to a packed congregation at St Mary and All Saint’s in Great Budworth, Cheshire – all alongside her scientific role.
Incorporating her love of animals, she has also held several animal blessings – inviting churchgoers to bring their animals along, too. Jenny said: “We’ve had pets as well as farm animals like chickens and even sheep. We have a special service of thinking about our relationship with animals and the environment.
“Then, towards the end, people bring up their pets and I will perform an individual blessing for both the pet and the owner.” She added: “It’s lovely to sit in the church and look out at all these weird and wonderful animals.”
When not in the church, Jenny works four-and-a-half days a week in a lab, assessing biopsies from animals sent in by vets. It is her role to run tests on the samples to detect conditions like cancer, skin issues, and viruses – work she usually performs wearing her dog collar, which she sees as an important part of her calling.
She said: “I’m not walking around talking about Christianity or conversion or anything like that. I’m just there, visible, in case anyone wants to talk to me. Everyone is so busy nowadays. Everyone has things to do on a Sunday. I’ve had people speak to me who are curious about religion, but just don’t have the time to get to church.
"The church can also be a scary place to go to if you’ve got questions. Mostly, people who talk to me at work are experiencing bereavement or concerns for a sick loved one. They just need that extra bit of support and I’m glad to provide it.”
It was in Jenny’s lab where samples from one of her own cats, eight-year-old Russian blue Lulu, were tested and it was confirmed that she had intestinal cancer in 2019. After enduring a year of chemotherapy, just like her doting owner, Lulu is now, thankfully, fully recovered.
Meanwhile, the pandemic and the requirement to work from home presented another unusual way for Jenny to spread the word of God.
She explained: “When the first lockdown came, I was no longer this physical presence of the church at work and that was quite sad. It was then that I decided on starting a virtual ministry – showing up on social media. I set up a Facebook page and it’s grown from there.”
Under the handle @TheReverendVet, Jenny now runs Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages, where she shares religious-based teachings, alongside funny pet pictures and videos giving tips on animal care.
She said: “I might do a Bible reflection and then have a picture of a dog. People love animals. They’re trusting, non-judgemental, and show unconditional love. They represent so much of what the Christian faith is about.
“Posting pictures of me and my cats can help people engage. My following online is growing so much that I’ve set up a pet prayer group on Facebook where people can message and I’ll pray for them and their animals.
“We’re currently saying many prayers there for the people of Ukraine and their pets.”
Within the next couple of months, Jenny will finish her initial three-year curacy – akin to a probationary period as a priest. She will then be attached to another church and will focus primarily on spreading the message of the church through social media in her own unique way.
She said: “We have got to look for new ways to reach people in this contemporary world.”
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