A Universal Question, thoughtfully answered!

What do you think: Will we see our dogs and cats in the hereafter? Does God's plan for eternity include the created nonhuman world? Franciscan friar and popular writer Father Jack Wintz brings a love for all creation and infectious enthusiasm to the serious task of exploring answers to these long-asked questions,

In Will I See My Dog in Heaven? Father Jack admits that no one really knows what God has in mind for us in the next life. But in ten thoughtful chapters, he lines up evidence from the Scriptures, Christian tradition and liturgy, and the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, that God desires all creatures (yes, including our beloved pets!) in the afterlife.

This little volume by longtime writer and Franciscan friar Wintz has a strikingly serious yet warm message. For Wintz, a careful and spiritually adept student not only of the Bible but of the words of St. Francis, God's promise of a new creation at the end of time extends to the animal companions we have known and loved in this life: "the whole created world will somehow be saved." Strongly recommended.

Library Journal

Starred Review

CATHEDRAL DEANERY- No one really knows in detail what God has in mind for us in the next life. A local Franciscan author says, however, that saving souls and the afterlife is inclusive for all God's creatures.

"God is interested. in more than human beings. We're all creatures of one big family in the Garden of Eden," said Franciscan Father Jack Wintz. "This paradise is not just for humans but for animals too."

Father Wintz is the author of a new book Will I See My Dog in Heaven? God's Saving Love for the Whole Family of Creation (Paraclete Press, 2009). The book illustrates God's inclusion of people, animals and nature through biblical stories such as Noah's ark and Jonah and the whale, as well as the life and works of St. Francis of Assisi.

Father Wintz, also known as Friar Jack, has been a Franciscan friar for more than 5O years. He is a contributing editor at St. Anthony Messenger magazine and author of Friar Jack's E-spirations, an electronic newsletter. Among his accomplishments is receiving the St. Francis de Sales Award, the highest honor given by the Catholic Press Association to an individual for outstanding contributions to Catholic journalism.

Father Wintz's book is derived from his July 2003 article, "Will 1 See My Little Doggy in Heaven?" published in St. Anthony Messenger.

As inquiries continued from adults and children about their pets' afterlife, Father Wintz was compelled to expand his article into a book.

"It almost sounds like a naive question. The key concept is to look through Scripture and the life of St. Francis of Assisi and Christian tradition," he said. "God wants more than human beings to be saved. We have to change our attitude instead of being focused on ourselves.”

He cited St. Francis' poem, "The Canticle of the Creatures,” and the song, 'The Canticle of Brother Sun," in which the Franciscan founder refers to the elements of nature as "Brother Sun," "Sister Moon," "Brother Wind," and "Sister Water." Father Wintz said he concluded that St. Francis had insight that "all creatures (whether human or non-human) belong to one family of creation."

He also refers to Psalm 148, which includes inviting creatures to praise God along with human beings. In the Book of Daniel, the third chapter mentions a hymn to praise God sung by three youths in the fiery furnace. The youths invite the family of creation to praise the Lord.

"We forget to realize how important trees, the moon, animals and creatures are. If there wasn't oxygen in the air, we'd hardly survive. They are part of the environment. I think the book will give a picture in Scripture and the life of St. Francis that God is interested in more than just saving human beings," Father Wintz said.

Creatures have a role in Christian worship with stained glass windows of lambs, doves, lions and eagles used to help depict Christ's 'message, added Father Wintz.

"As a Catholic, I find it very normal to incorporate these brother and sister creatures into my worship of God," Father Wintz said. "Being a member of the Franciscan family makes it all the more natural. Christians of all backgrounds can believe in the inherent holiness and sanctity of all these creatures, accepting them as outward signs and 'sacraments' of God's presence, goodness and grace."

The Catholic Telegraph
June 5, 2009