8 November 2013, Franciscan Priests
from the church of St Mary of the Angels were invited to bless Noah’s Ark
Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS) in Johor Bahru.
The sanctuary came about through Mr Raymund
Wee, a catholic whose vision was to give hope to abandoned and abused animals. He
started to build this special place in Singapore in 1995.
However, in the year
2000, the tender for the renewed lease of land at Jalan Kayu was unsuccessful.
The ark was relocated to Malaysia and is home to 600 dogs, 300 cats, 9 horses,
4 monkeys and 9 rabbits that have been rescued.
The blessing of animals at the church of St
Mary of the Angels has a rich 10 year history according to Franciscans priests,
Fr John-Paul Tan (OFM, JCL, Chancellor) and Fr John Derrick Yap (OFM). The
yearly tradition coincides with the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron
saint of ecology and animals.
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| Darren (left) introducing Huggy Boy a gibbon to Fr John-Paul |
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| Fr Derrick blessing the cats. |
The priests were on hand to lead in the first
official blessing of the animals at the sanctuary together with Catholic
parishioners from Singapore.
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| Raymund checking on Chun Doong's teeth |
Mr Raymund Wee, founder of Noah's Ark says, “The
blessing is a good eye-opener and it shows that people still care for animals.” Adding on he says with a laugh, “The purpose is to bless the animals so that
they can forgive the humans for their wrong-doings to them.”
Being true animal lovers, Fr John-Paul
believes that, “The animals are very lucky to have such a place.” At Noah's Ark, the
animals are free to roam the sanctuary and food, water and medical treatments
are provided for them. Fr Derrick added that, “It is amazing to see the close
relationships that the animals enjoy with each other, even the three-legged
ones.” However, most animals at Noah's Ark have troubled pasts where they are
subjected to cruelty. Fr John-Paul says, “ Having an animal is a stewardship,
if you can’t take care of it, pass it on to someone else who will continue to
care for it.”
Animals are also referenced in the bible such
as the book of Genesis and the story of Noah’s Ark. The Christian significance
of the blessing is to remind people to always respect, love and care for
animals.
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| Fr Derrick with Cinzano, ex dressage horse. |
Fr Derrick stressed that St Francis of
Assisi, believed in a common fatherhood, where all creation are brothers and
sisters. All creation is to bless God together. The Christian message of the blessing
serves as a reminder for Christians to love God’s unique creation.
Ms Linda Shaw, a parishioner from the church
of St. Ignatius says, “The blessing was a wonderful experience and has helped us
renew our faith as Christians to love animals.” Adding on she says, “We must
look after God’s creation.”
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| A natural environment for the animals to call home. |
The inspiration behind the name of Noah's Ark came
from the bible where Noah was asked to build the ark to house the animals and
his family. This was done according to God’s plan to save them from the great
flood. Similarly, the ark was built with the purpose to help animals in need
and protect them from harm.
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| Rosina giving Snoopy a pat. |
Ms Rosina Maria Arquati, an animal
communicator who is vegan, a catholic and attends the church of St. Joseph (Hong
Kong) remarks, “It is an uplifting, inspiring and calming spiritual experience
to see the animals being blessed.”
Adding on she says, “In the bible, God gave us domain over the animals,
it shows that God trusts us with them.” Therefore we have the utmost responsibility
to care for the animals.
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| Oso a GR Retriever showing off to our visitors that he can swimm. |
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| Cats watching the dogs swim at their balcony. |
Mr Raymund Wee also shares that he relies on
a Christian song, “One Day at a time, Sweet
Jesus”, which is written by the late Patsy
Cline to get him through the trials and tribulations that he faces in running
the sanctuary. The meaningful lyrics of
the song he shares is to live one day at a time, pray consistently and to ask
for God’s continued grace and strength to help him, one step at a time.
The beauty of the ark can be seen in the sacrifices
where no animal is turned away and are able to have the freedom and shelter
they deserve. By respecting God’s creatures great and small, the world would be
a better and humane society for us, God’s children to co-exist with God’s
creatures. For stories and updates about the ark, please like our page at facebook.com/noahsarkcares.
Written by Darren Chan Keng Leong
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