How the tradition of blessing animals works, resisting and modernizing in the interior of RS In the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, the tradition of blessing animals remains alive and gains modern contours. With prayers and rituals based on faith, residents in Santo Antônio da Patrulha and Soledade seek cures for sick horses and cows. The practice, which previously required physical presence, now even includes orders made via cell phone messages. The healer Ronaldo Diniz Pereira, resident of Santo Antônio da Patrulha, states that he acquired the gift ten years ago, by chance. 📲 Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp "I went to the hill to see the cattle. I got there, there was a 'faggot' cow. I said 'let's bless this cow'. I said a prayer, I blessed it, it worked. And now since then, everyone asks me, I do it", he says. For Ronaldo, the secret of the ritual is mutual belief. "Everyone has to have faith, otherwise it won't work, right? Everyone has a belief in something", he says. With the use of technology, Ronaldo began to bless the distance. He receives photos of the animals and orders via cell phone. Rodeo cattle supplier Lauri is one of those seeking help. In an audio message, he asks a cow for help. Lauri guarantees the effectiveness of the method used by the healer. "He had a gift from God that he blessed and in a few days he was cured. You have to have faith, the person has to believe in God", he says. Rural producer José Ricardo Lima also reports the healing of an animal from a distance. "Ah, I couldn't catch a 'filly', two weeks already 'faggot'. A friend of mine said 'bless, I guarantee you', so I called the guy and he said: 'send a photo or a name'. I sent the photo, he said 'you don't need to look at her anymore'. I spent two weeks, I was in doubt, in the third week I went there, in the field, I arrived from afar, the filly had nothing. I already had faith, I was left with much more", he recalls. Still in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, faith healer Arinda Rocha de Souza uses a leaf and a knife in her rituals. The knife symbolizes a cry for help that cuts the leaf, as if eliminating a disease. "The leaflet is the way I bless it. I take it and say 'name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit'", he explains. For Arinda, evoking the saints shortens the road to animal recovery. "I think that Santo Expedito is my protector. I have to have protection from a saint, because I am nothing without them. São Sebastião is a very warrior saint, I believe in him a lot. And if I ask him, he is protecting what I am asking for", says the healer. Writer Elma Sant'ana, author of a book on the subject, explains that the tradition emerged to reinforce the bond in the countryside. "So, the faith healer or the healer, in this case, when she prayed, she did not see a hierarchy in this position between animal and human being. She saw a disharmony. So, she tried to restore this balance that existed between human beings and animals, because they depended on each other", he details. In Soledade, 77-year-old faith healer Jurema goes from stall to stall offering help during events. Roper José Pedrassani turned to her after an accident with his horse. During the ritual, which lasts about a minute, Jurema says her prayers. "Spirit, I, in the name of Jesus, remove all jealousy, envy, 'evil eye', big eye that they put on you, and God sends it away, and may you try to improve well, and may it heal", says the healer, who claims to have learned the practice herself: "I learned it from the powers of God". Jurema recalls a remarkable case in which he blessed a mare that suffered from colic. She details the quick outcome of the situation. "It didn't take 30 minutes, the kid got there with great joy like 'Ms. Jurema, the mare got up, she's grazing'", recalls the healer. How the tradition of blessing animals works, resisting and modernizing in the interior of RS Reproduction/RBS TV VIDEOS: Everything about RS