RIP PUSHKIN, CHURCH CAT
May 2010 - January 2026
Memories, photos and condolences
St Philips worship is online
May 2010 - January 2026
Memories, photos and condolences
We are very sad to announce that our beloved Church cat, Pushkin, died peacefully on Thursday, 29 January at the age of nearly 16.
As well as being a remarkably effective mouser who kept our church free of vermin, he was a special pastoral presence loved by many parishioners and visitors alike. His online presence inspired people worldwide and drew many visitors to St Philip’s.
Good and faithful servant, we bid you goodbye with grateful thanks.
You lived your best life with us in this building, and you gave so much back.
Thank you.
A service to remember Pushkin was held on Sunday, 15 February at 12noon. View the service HERE soon
If you would like to add a message to our web page of condolences and memories, please use this form HERE. Photos can be emailed to parishoffice@specr.org.
Rest in Peace, Pushkin.
Pushkin was a very special cat who I am honoured to say was a good friend of mine on Twitter. I loved to see his tweets every morning and it gave me great pleasure to reply to them, and to retweet them to my followers. I also got much joy out of making a special Macey Blankie for him, in Christmas colours, and also sending him gifts and cards every now and then His Staff became my friends too and I am so pleased I have a copy of his last calendar for 2026. I was so sad when I heard that Pushkin passed away on 29th January He has left a huge hole in my Twitter routine. But it must be an even bigger hole in the lives of his Staff and friends at St Philip's . Pushkin will never be forgotten, as we say in our Twitter Cat Community, Love never dies♥️
Our handsome boy Pushkin often got the zoomies during Morning Prayer, galloping like a horse, bushy-tailed, at top speed, making an absolute racket. How could something so small make so much noise? He would also use Wednesday's Order of Service booklets as his personal pillow, holding them tight. Parishioners attending the Service could try to get one at their peril. What a legend.
Poor Pushkin, I'm sorry you didn't get to enjoy a long retirement, but happy that you can't have been ill for long. Thank you for all the calm and happiness you spread. 😽
Oh I am so sorry to hear of dear Pushkin's passing. He was such a dear fellow. Sending heartfelt condolences to all associated with St Philip's who loved this dear little man. He was such a joyous light in the darkness around social media which can be a bleak place.
Pushkin's posts always cheered me immensely. I will miss them and most of all him. May he rest in furry peace.
Pushkin brought me so much joy over the last few years and especially in 2025 when dealing with some major anxiety issues. One of the things that helped me through a lot of insecurity and unpredictability was writing down that when I got better, I would someday fulfil my dream of going to England, and of course, I had to go to Pushkin's church. I haven't been able to go yet and now the itinerary will have a very huge cat-shaped hole, but will soon be filled again with memories of him and the joy this little guy brought to me and so many other people around the world.
Rest in Peace and Mouse in Glory.
I wish you a safe journey over the rainbow bridge 😢 Thank you, Pushkin, for warming up the seats for visitors, for inspecting every corner of your church and supervising the sound levels. Thank you for all the memories, we’ll cherish them here too, thousands of miles away 🥹
American here. Every morning, in the midst of distressing news about my own country, I could look forward to a brilliant light from Pushkin the cat. What a gift he was to your church, your city, your country and mine, and the whole world. I am convinced that because God created lovable animals, and created us to love them, we will be reunited with our pets in Heaven. I look forward to seeing Pushkin there.
RIP Pushkin thank you for letting us follow your journey and adventures.
Our family would like to offer our prayers and condolences to those who loved Pushkin. We enjoyed sharing his service to the Church on his twitter account.
I am so sad to hear this. Pushkin was a daily dose of happiness for so many people.
I 'met' Pushkin online on Twitter. I live in the U.S., but I had hoped that the next time I got to visit London I could attend a service at St. Phillips and get to meet Pushkin. I had to say goodbye to my beautiful tuxedo boy back in September, so it was wonderful to see Pushkin's tweets.
When I visited the UK for the first time, I had three hours in London before my Eurostar back. I took this time to visit Hodge and Pushkin. The former just sniffed me then hid in the organ, but Pushkin? He acknowledged my existence, the pushed his head towards me. “Please scratch here.” Then he curled up next to me and began to sleep. Only later did I see that he supposedly didn’t like humans and even scratches if feeling annoyed. I guess he sensed I’m staff for two nice almost-lookalikes of his. We of the Fediverse will miss him, he’ll live on in our memories, but we’re glad he went across the rainbow bridge in peace, not in pain, and can now run free, across the meadows of heaven.
We will miss seeing your daily musings and finding you in your photos when you were playing hide & seek with your humans. Sleep with, dear Pushkin xx😿❤️
Seeing Pushkin on social media has been a joy. My condolences to his companions and thanks for sharing him with all of us. He was often the highlight of my day.
I pray for Pushkin and take comfort that he is now safe in the arms of God. Pushkin was a magnificent ambassador for St Philip’s and rightfully took his place among many famous church cats. In a world that seems cruel and harsh, he brought pure love and made so many people smile with a moment of happiness. My condolences to the staff and volunteers who must be missing him dreadfully. May God bless you all ✝️
I've been so uplifted trading witty banter online with Pushkin('s staff) every morning. It's something I've looked forward to, no matter what was going on in life, in the news, or in the world. Eight o'clock will be just a little bit lonelier from now on. "My couch is among the dead," cries the psalmist. Today, mine is too – and it's covered with black and white fur. Rest, light, and peace, my fuzzy friend. Amen. 🕀
I only 'knew' Pushkin through social media, but he was clearly a wonderful cat and a much loved member of your church community. Offering prayers to Saints Francis and Anthony of Egypt (patron saint of pets) in his memory.
Longtime follower of Pushkin from across the pond. I'm so sorry for your loss. Run free, dear Pushkin! 💕
I loved seeing Pushkin's Twitter posts, he will be very missed.
I wish you a safe journey over the rainbow bridge 😢 Thank you, Pushkin, for warming up the seats for visitors, for inspecting every corner of your church and supervising the sound levels. Thank you for all the memories, we’ll cherish them here too, thousands of miles away 🥹
We used to follow Pushkin on twitter and we were so pleased when we found him again on Bluesky. Fly free over that rainbow 🌈 bridge, Pushkin. Never just a cat, rather part of a big family. You'll be missed.
I have so much enjoyed seeing Pushkin's photos every day. He will be missed very much.
I’m so sorry to hear of Pushkin’s passing. It was a joy to follow him on Twitter from my home in Las Vegas, USA. He always made me smile, & I know he made a positive impact on a lot of people. Sending you my sincere condolences. God bless his soul in Heaven. ❤️
We will miss you ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I'm thankful to have seen you from afar in social media, bringing light every time I saw your kind and funny posts. Will miss them. Rest in Peace, Pushkin!
Although I never met Pushkin (I live in Canada), through his social media presence, he blessed the world with his creative and attentive service to St. Philips and her people. This helped start my day off with a smile - much needed these days and much appreciated. Thank you for sharing him with all of us. Special hugs to the person(s) who managed his social media accounts and to the person(s) who cared for him. Thank you for doing that for him and us. Pushkin will be missed and remembered. Carol Hulin
RIP, beautiful soul.
Living in the US, I did not have the opportunity to meet Pushkin in person--but as the former assistant keeper of an Episcopal church cat myself, it was such a joy to see him every day on my Bluesky feed. I especially loved seeing him acting as sacristan or verger. He will be missed online, and I am certain even more so by your parish community. Thank you for your kindness in posting his dispatches and interacting with his fans near and far. May you find relief in your grief and may he rest in peace and rise in glory.
It is so heartbreaking! how i miss him! I always walk into the church to show my respect to him. When you know he is not there any more, the sadness could not be expressed in words. Many beautiful memories with him are becoming so alive. Rest in peace, my dear. May God be with you and take care of you for us in heaven.
I've followed Pushkin's daily exploits over the past few years and they've brought me nothing but happiness. So sad that it's over. Thank you for sharing this special cat with me. I am sorry I live too far away to come to the service of remembrance.
I was an exchange student from Japan 2 years ago. It was my first time living in another country, and I suffered from homesickness and missed my cats there. And then I found Pushkin. Since my accommodation is close to the church, I used to visit him. When I sat, he suddenly appeared and sat next to me - like he comes to greet me. He surely was my best four-legged friend in London. One of my cats has crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year, hope you two become good friends! Thank you, and rest in peace. Love from Japan🌸
Beautiful Pushkin. Loved following you and your antics in your beautiful Church. RIP xx
Although I never met you, I fell In love with you and your antics. X will not be the same without you, darling Pushkin. Rest in peace, special angel. Sending all my love to you and to those who loved you too.
Oh dear, I'm so sorry - I'm sure he'll be frolicking in the heavenly places, restored to youth and vigour...
I am so grieved and gutted, and I have a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat to say anything further.
What sad news, a great loss to our community. I used to remember when I came into the church during the week, it would be empty and peaceful. I would sit down on my own, and after a few minutes, Pushkin would come and sit on the chair next to me and keep me company. R.I.P Pushkin
I am so glad I got to meet Pushkin. I am still amazed that taking a wrong turn led me to St. Philips and I will never forget how Pushkin welcomed into the church building that day, and sat with me so gently and kindly.
Dear Pushkin, I loved reading about your daily adventures in the church. I'm glad that you had a nice life there, you deserved it. Thank you for giving light to everyone with your presence. RIP sweet boy
Pushkin was such a character and will be missed. I’m so sorry to hear that he has died. Although he wasn’t always the most welcoming and was such a feisty cat, it was lovely to see him patrolling the church during services, and we’ll remember that fondly.
My favourite Pushkin story is from when the kids were little and all begged me to bring my cats to church for the Blessing of the Animals. They (and their friends) were convinced there would be some hugely exciting event with all the animals in church. I assured them it would just be a normal service. I arrived with two cats and six very excited children.
Pushkin was asleep on the table next to the Remembrance Sunday memorial. Just before the service started, he suddenly woke up and looked around in full attack mode — his territory was now filled with animals. At that moment, the church door opened and in walked the owner of a tiny poodle. Pushkin leapt off the table and, in three bounds, was at the door, refusing the poodle entry.
The kids thought this was the best thing ever. The poodle was escorted out, Pushkin was placed in the vestry, and he was the only animal not blessed during the service (he was blessed after the service). The children walked home saying it was the best, most fun day, that they’d been right — church can be exciting — and they admired Pushkin from that day on… from a safe distance. To this day they think Pushkin was such a great cat
Illustrations from Pushkin's Calendar 2026
Photos from Pushkin's friend, who came all the way from Germany to see him
Photo from Olia
Photo from Olia
Photos from Alexander
llustration of Pushkin by Abbey