Three ‘Soho Sheep’ Tend to Chores at Old St. Patrick’s

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Last week, the parish manager at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral received a call from a passerby who reported that a sheep was walking around the churchyard with a bucket on his head.

It wasn’t at all a crank call. Sure enough, a feed pail was firmly stuck on the head of Hope, one of three so-called “Soho sheep” that have taken up residence this summer outside the renowned Lower Manhattan church.

“Hope was cooperative in having it removed and seemed relieved when it was,” recalled Msgr. Donald Sakano, the pastor.

For the third consecutive year, the parish has welcomed three sheep to its 35,000-square-foot property, which includes a cemetery. The vacationing sheep are relegated to the north yard, where they keep the lawn in trim.

They arrived in early August from their home, White Barn Farm Sheep and Wool in New Paltz, and are scheduled to return there by early October.

“They’re raised not for lamb chops but for their woolen product,” the pastor said of the three male sheep that are of two breeds: one California Red and two Cormos.

“It’s a great rallying point for the parish,” Msgr. Sakano said of having sheep on the premises. “There’s a pastoral implication to this living, biblical image in our midst.”

Parishioners have been proactive in providing hospitality for the sheep that, perhaps in a nod to the universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy, were aptly named Faith, Hope and Charity in a contest. (The sheep of the first summer were known as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh; those from the second summer were named after streets in the parish’s neighborhood: Elizabeth, Mott and Mulberry.)

One parishioner recently hosted a so-called “Greet the Sheep Party” on a rooftop overlooking the churchyard. Party-goers reportedly donned costumes and played themed games such as “Pin the Tail on the Sheep.”

“It’s really been fun,” the pastor said. “They’re very friendly. They come running over. They’re curious about us, and of course we’re curious about them.”

Msgr. Sakano acknowledged two local contractors and parishioners, Peter Golia and Frank DiGiralomo, who contributed their talents by building fencing and the manger.

To keep the sheep comfortable throughout their stay, and to support the parish, donations are being accepted on Spotfund (download Spotfund from the iPhone App store, IOS, search for *SohoSheep, drop a token to donate, then share your donation on Facebook). Those who are not iPhone users may donate at http://spot.fund/sheep.

Now, baaaa-ck to the sheep that had the pail stuck on his head: a call was placed to White Barn Farm to ask their advice, according to the pastor. “They told us that it happens all the time,” Msgr. Sakano learned of the sheep that are “eager to eat every last grain in the feed pail and hence get themselves in a predicament.”

“They suggested we get larger pails. We have.”