Dozens of dogs, along with their owners, visited the Church of Jesus Great Strength in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, to receive a blessing. The ceremony took place on Sunday, August 16, as part of St. Roch's feast day.
The initiative was undertaken by the Municipality of La Paz and the church to pay tribute to domestic animals. As explained by priest Saul Mamani to the Efe agency, the care and protection that families show to animals have 'increased in recent years.'
The priest emphasized: 'This is the first activity held in the sanctuary, and we need to encourage families, especially dog owners, to protect and care for their animals, and not leave them during winter. They are a part of us; they are a part of our lives.'
The religious ceremony gathered dogs of various breeds, some of which were dressed up for the occasion. Karina Uruchi, one of the attendees, brought her dog to mass 'by invitation of the priest' and noted that 'pets are valued more than before.'
She added: 'They are better cared for; they are more protected. It wasn't like this before. Now our pets mean everything to us.'
Furthermore, parishioners brought photographs of deceased pets to receive their blessing. Norma Mercado spoke about her two bitches, Pelusa and Candy: 'I brought my two bitches, Pelusa and Candy. Both were an important part of my life. I loved them, I cared for them; they gave me a lot of love and taught me what responsibility and love are,' and advised all pet owners to 'love them because they feel what we feel.'
The tradition of holding masses and blessing dogs and other pets in honor of St. Roch dates back more than ten years to the Corpus Christi parish in El Alto, Bolivia, thanks to the initiative of German priest Sebastian Obermaier.
St. Roch is associated with dogs because, according to Christian tradition, when he contracted the plague and was isolated from the rest of the world, a dog helped him survive by daily bringing him bread and licking his wounds.