By. Anuradha
The world can surely be a nice place for all of us to live in if we can be kind to one another. If we have the heart to look at one another with compassion and love, all the wars and miseries in the world will surely see an end and all of us would be able to live in peace. The kindness that you show even to a stray dog can set many examples for others and that is why we thought of sharing this priest’s story.
Father Joao Paulo Araujo Gomes is the head of the parish of Santana in the city of Gravata in Brazil. He is naturally kind in heart and he recently thought of bringing stay dogs to masses, so that he can help them to find new homes.
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He let all these furry friends roam in his church and run here and there in whatever the way they want. Sometimes, they can even be seen walking around the Father and trying to be cuddled by him. The best thing is that the father also seems never to disappoint them!
This compassionate action has made many people help these innocent creatures and Father Joao Paulo wrote on his Facebook that “They will always be able to enter, sleep, eat, drink their water and find shelter and protection, for this house is of God and they are of God ”.
Father does not only bring them to his church but also provide them with all the facilities they need. Ranging from food to medical care, the dogs are being well-treated and many of the forgotten dogs in his city are now living under the care of Father Paulo.
He says that “I helped several dogs with serious health problems. Some of them I brought to the parish house and they were later adopted. Three of them stayed with me. Today, they are my children and sleep in my bed”.
After a photo of him having masses with dogs went viral on the internet, many people began to talk about that. However, this was not the first time dogs have been taken inside the church. From a dog unexpectedly crashing church service in the summer of this year to annual pet blessings, animals are being involved in religious functions more and more and this can be identified as a good cause.
This should be what religions be doing; helping everyone in need. We wish everyone else in the world will also take measures like these to make our world a better place.
