In the Brazilian city of Gravatá, there are many stray dogs in need of a home. So, Father João Paulo Araujo Gomes of Paróquia de Sant’Ana Gravatáin decided to help the strays get adopted by inviting them to his Sunday service.
Aside from teaching parishioners the ways of Christianity, he is also raising awareness for stray dogs in the community. Gomes, together with some parish volunteers, rescues the dogs from the streets, shelters them, and nurses them back to health.
The dogs are welcome to stay in the clergy house that Gomes himself oversees until they find their forever homes. He said that they will always be able to enter, eat, drink, sleep and find protection there. However, they can only do so much. That is why every week, the dogs make their way to the front and center of the Sunday service.
They come to church weekly not only to seek affection but also to hope that among the church-goers, someone would finally provide them permanent shelter and shower them with all the love they deserve. Thankfully, many of the dogs that Gomes took in have already been adopted. The number of stray dogs in the neighborhood has also significantly decreased.
Gomes and the parish volunteers also provide necessary medical treatment to dogs who are seriously ill. Because of their efforts, not only healthy dogs but also those who used to have critical health problems have found new families.
Naturally, it was simply a matter of time before Gomes himself forges a connection with the dogs. Although most of the dogs that he brought to the parish were soon adopted, it did not come as a surprise when he himself decided to keep three of them. He now treats them as his own children. They even sleep in his bed.
Credit: This Dog’s Life