Misson
“Through the intercession of St. Francis and The Holy Family, three boys and their dog desire to bring love into your home by providing your furry family member a delicious treat baked in prayer full of love.”
-Our Lady, The Blessed Mother
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*J.M.J.*
My Fiat
Allow me to begin by stating this Barkery is not my project. It belongs to Our Lady, The Blessed Mother and it began with a "Yes" to first Our Lady of Guadalupe then to the Holy Family, then to Our Lady help of Christians. And this is how it started.
In December 2023 my husband and I were thinking about getting a dog for our boys for Christmas. But every time I brought it to prayer, the Lord kept saying no not yet just wait. And He said it more than once because I asked Him more than once. The desire for a dog never really left. I was trusting that Jesus would let me know when the time was right, so I kept asking Him, repeatedly.
Now let's fast forward to the early part of July 2025. We dog sat for a family friend of ours for about five days. The dog's name was Bosco after St. John Bosco. He was a four-month-old puppy, an Eskipoo, about small to medium size. It was so beautiful to watch the kids take care of him, playing with him, tending to his needs, playing with him, and more.
Nick and I talked about getting a dog for our family and so again I brought it to prayer. I really didn’t hear an answer, so I thought I would do some checking around. My logic was no answer meant it wasn't a "no" but it wasn't a "yes" either. I still looked.
I called my daughter who lives in Omaha and asked her to do some searching for a small puppy who might be a good fit for our family. She found a Maltese toy poodle puppy in southern Iowa 7 miles from the Missouri boarder and two hours away from her in Omaha. I contacted the owner, who had the dogs listed on Craigslist. We spoke through email and over the phone. She sent a video of the puppies that she had which were two females and two males. Both of the females were already taken so only the males were available. Perfect! We were interested in a boy! On the video we saw the two boy puppies, one was golden in color, who the owner said was obedient and calm and more of a lapdog. I want that one! The other dog was a mocha brown color, smaller in size, and very ornery. Either way we were going to name the dog Francis after Saint Francis, who Henry has a huge devotion to. The boys, Nick, and I all were all thinking the golden colored one would come home with us.
I brought it to prayer, asking the Lord, which one He would like us to choose, explaining to Him why I preferred one over the other. He said you’re not going to get the dog you want. I asked the boys individually which dog they would like. They all said the golden one. I was expecting to get the calm lap dog.
I called the dogs' owner and told her that we still couldn’t decide between the two. She said that’s OK, she’ll bring them both July 12, unknowingly to us, it was the feast day of St. Henry. And just like that the meeting was set. Since it was a Sunday, we had to leave right after Mass to meet in Council Bluffs that afternoon to pick out the dog for our family. And here is where Mother Mary comes in.
It was the morning of Saturday, July 11. I began my morning prayer as I do every day, before the kids wake up. My knees hit the floor to venerate the crucifix, as I always do to begin my prayer time and immediately the words “dog treats” came to my mind. I thought, Lord, I am not thinking about dog treats right now I’m trying to focus on you and prayer. Well, the words “dog treats” kept coming to my mind. I told the Lord every time I’m here for prayer time and I don’t want to keep thinking about dog treats, please take this distraction away.
I began praying my first devotion, which is the daily Consecration to our Lady of Guadalupe. There’s a line in the first paragraph that says make me your faithful messenger like Saint Juan Diego which really spoke to me. Just then, Mary appeared to me as Our Lady of Guadalupe. She asked me to make dog treats as a way of reaching the culture, spreading the love a person has for their dog unifying that love with Her Son in the Scriptures. She then changed herself into the Blessed Mother with St. Joseph standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder, and the child Jesus, maybe 5-6 years old, who was playing with a little brown dog, as He looking up at me, smiling and laughing and having a very joyful time. I told Mary I don’t want the brown dog. Then Jesus looked at me with the biggest, joyful smile on his face.
She said to me that she gives the blessing of the Holy Family to make the dog treats, specifically showing me how the label should look, and who should paint the logo which needed to be painted in watercolor.
She also gave me a small story to put on the back of the label. It read, “Through the intercession of St. Francis, and the blessing of The Holy Family, 3 boys and their dog, desire to bring love into your home by providing your furry family member a delicious treat baked in prayer full of love.” She also asked me to contact a specific priest, who was also a dog owner, to write a prayer to go on the back of the label.
My prayer time ended with excitement in my heart at this new project that Our Lady would like to see happen, and I felt honored that she asked me to do this for her. With that excitement, I went downstairs to go tell my husband what all happened during prayer time. He also was very excited, but still a little leery. And that’s OK. We got our kids up for the got ready to go to Mass that Saturday morning. Father King wore his white and blue chasuble which means he was celebrating a Marion Mass. Either a votive Mass for Mary or it was a Marion feast day. It was actually the feast day for Our Lady Help of Christians.
We had no idea it was a Marion feast day and when Father King announced this, Nick and I looked at each other in amazement and our jaws dropped. As a Mass progressed, Father King also mentioned it was the feast day for Saints Louis and Zelie Martin who are the parents of St. Terese of Lisieux. Zelie is a mother of five and a woman owned her own lace business. I also have 5 children. My heart grew with even more excitement. Products of this unnamed adventure of dog treats were coming to my mind which I brought to prayer during Mass to Mary, in which she very kindly looked at me and said, “No, not yet.” When I went to Jesus to Him for his permission, He pointed over to His Mother and said, “It’s her project.”
Mass ended so we went home. Still the excitement was in my heart of wow OK so I’m making dog treats. I don’t know what recipe to use, I don’t know what to call this. I really don’t even know where to begin.
I was outside watering the flowers in the backyard. We have a variety of flowers such as phlox, lilacs, delphiniums, columbines, and many more different kinds of flowers. As I was watering a certain particular flower along the backside of our house, the word Barkery came to my mind to which I questioned it. You mean bakery to which I heard no, barkery, St. Francis Barkery. Just my husband popped his head out the deck door with a question about lunch. I said, Hun, “Barkery, Saint Francis Barkery.” He smiled the biggest grin! Yes, I like that. I looked down at the flowers that I was watering because I was prompted in my heart to do so. I was watering little red roses, a flower symbolizing St. Terese of Lisieux and roses for Our Lady. I deeply feel with everything in me that it was our dear Saint Terese, The Little flower, who told me what to name this ministry. And so therefore this project belongs to Our Lady in 3 different titles as Our lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady, Our Blessed Mother, and Our Lady Help of Christians as well as 4 saints, Saint Francis, Saints Louis and Zelle Martin, and Saint Thérèse.
It is with everything in my heart that I feel that Our Lady would like to spread Her Son‘s word through this ministry by reaching people through their dogs, by praying while with our dogs to grow deeper to Christ and channeling the love for our dogs to all we encounter.
Mother Mary continues to guide me, telling me when to bake, when to do admin work, and most importantly telling me to spend time with my family. I have full trust in Jesus through her to fulfill my “fiat” to her project where it needs to go and what needs to be done.
-Amanda
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