Father João Paulo Gomes
A kind priest has come up with a great way to help stray and abandoned dogs in his hometown get adopted
Fr João Paulo Araujo Gomes, head of the Santana parish in the Brazilian town of Gravatá, began bringing homeless dogs to his church to show potential adoptive families.
The priest was worried about seeing so many stray dogs and decided he had to do something to help them.
Every Sunday, he takes them to his presbytery and brings them into the church to join them in his service.
Dogs often fall asleep on the altar and are caressed by his congregation. The idea is that the parishioners see the dogs and fall in love with them. In this way, dogs can find a home forever.
He told Metro: “Then I started to bring the dogs en masse, with the same hope of giving them.”
“In six months, I completed this process. All dogs have been adopted. Now, I work with street dogs. They sometimes come to the church looking for food and water.
“During the service, we talk about street dogs, how to respect them and how to protect them.”
However, when Mass ends, Father Gomes’ commitment to these underprivileged dogs continues. He keeps stray dogs in his parsonage every day, providing them with the necessary shelter, food and fresh water. He and some volunteers even offer them medical assistance when they need it.
On Facebook, Father Gomes explained why he allowed stray animals to stay in church.
“They will always be able to enter, sleep, eat, drink water and find shelter and protection, because this house is of God and they are of God”