No matter how much my siblings and I raised the subject when we were kids, our mother would not allow us to get a dog. She always said, “I have five kids. What do I want with a dog? Besides, who do you think is gonna end up taking care of it?”
She was right, of course, and so we had to settle on befriending our neighbor’s collie named Duke, which frequently stretched out on the top of our kitchen steps at dinnertime and waited for our scraps.
While I still don’t want a pet of my own, I have developed new affection for furry creatures thanks to three good friends with whom I live, pray and work every day: Father Mike McCue, my fellow Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales; Father Adam Cichoski, rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Camden, where I have lived for 16 years; and Father Vince Guest, the pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, the location of my studio since the days of the late Father Michael Doyle – who also had a cherished dog named Nipper, which I never met.
I never lived with diocesan priests until Father Adam was assigned as rector of the Cathedral to replace my fellow Oblate Father John Fisher when his term came to an end. Diocesan priests are very different from religious congregation priests, and I was a bit skeptical about how “community life” might go with both Father Adam and Father Steve Robbins, the Cathedral’s parochial vicar.
But within the first weeks of his arrival, Father Adam proved I had nothing to fear. Along came Julian, a stray cat who wandered onto the rectory porch and taught me that things were going to be just fine.
Father Adam immediately took charge of her care and comfort, even constructing a house for her out of a cardboard carton complete with plush floor covering and a lifetime supply of canned cat food. Treats and toys have followed nonstop ever since. Until she took up residence in the house, Julian was even a hit with some of the homeless folks who stopped by for coffee and asked if they could pet her. She brings out the gentle best in people burdened with stress and anxiety. Julian makes folks smile.
Father Vince at Sacred Heart came home one day – out of the blue – with Bernie, a beautiful and friendly chocolate lab named after Saint Bernadette. Like Julian, Bernie is delightful and friendly – especially at lunch when she nudges my leg begging to be fed. I used to give her cookies and chips, which she loved, and for which she loved me, but Father Vince now forbids that, insisting she can only be given healthy food. That’s boring, but I obey – at least when he is there. Please don’t tell him.
Lastly on my beloved critters list is Sky, the beautiful, gentle pit bull that was Father Mike’s best friend and which recently died following a bout with cancer. Until I met Sky, I thought all pit bulls were vicious and mean, as were their owners. Sky taught me that I shouldn’t stereotype and judge all dogs any more than people. I especially loved watching her being petted and given loving attention by the homeless folks at Joseph’s House in Camden when Father Mike went there to help serve lunch. She nourished the shelter’s guests as well as the workers and volunteers.
Like Julian and Bernie, Sky is all the proof I need that creatures are indeed full of God.
Brother Mickey McGrath, an Oblate of Saint Francis de Sales, is an award-winning artist and author who lives in Camden.
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