The Ark of the Covenant

By Sr. Mary Gabrielle osc

Guinea highlanders have been following a modern day Ark of the Covenant. It all begun when the people in the Diocese of Wabag wanted to commemorate the first coming of the SVD missionaries 50 years ago. The idea of carrying a Bible from parish to parish following the path of the early missionaries came up. The Bible was to travel in style – in a specially decorated wooden and glass box, modeled after the Ark of the Covenant, or as they termed it “Bokis Kontrak”. This was to symbolize the presence of God’s Word in their midst. For four months, they carried the ark around the parishes of the diocese. It was never left alone night or day, rain or shine.

Special Retreats

Each parish went through months of preparation for receiving the “Bokis Kontrak”. Retreat teams were trained in each parish and they went around leading week-long retreats. It was a  time of renewal and many people who had been on the fringes of the Church came back to be full members. Some groups and tribes that had been fighting had to make peace so that the “Bokis Kontrak” could come to their community. On the last day of the celebration for the high Mass, parishioners from each parish in the whole Diocese gathered in the mission station where we are residing and the crowd was almost 15, 000 people.

2-hour Mass

For special Mass celebrations, the Bible is being carried by a man with “bilas” (traditional costume) with two candle bearers and with women, also in their bilas, singing and dancing from the front door of the church going to the altar. They do a lot of dancing and singing in the Mass, during offertory and consecration. Sometimes a drama about the readings of the Gospel performed. The people are fond of singing charismatic songs, even toddlers could sing with hands clapping lively. That is why their Mass lasts for two hours or more. Men, women, and children come for Mass with roasted camote (kaw-kaw) in their bilum so that after Mass they could have their meal anywhere as they walk for one to two hours in going back to their homes.

The Bilum

Engan women are experts in making traditional bilum – a knitted string bag done with a one-hook needle. The bilum symbolizes family’s riches because they carry their babies in them to keep warm and protect them from anything that is harmful. Men, women, and children bring their own bilum wherever they go. They carry it on their heads. It is also a sign of friendship, of intimate relationship, even of love. It is a very personal gift of a man marrying a woman. When somebody gives a bilum to a missionary, this means that you are very welcome and loved by the people.

Mountains of Faith

Papua New Guineans, especially the highlanders, still seem to be living only “one decade old” after the creation. There’s so much effort needed for their growth and development – a long way to go. But the missionaries, like Moses leading the Israelites, are with them on this journey – a journey to the mountains of faith.

When I was a little girl I used to sit alone with nature around me or stay in the nearly chapel just sitting there in silence, listening to the growing sounds of the day. This was perhaps one of the happiest memories of my childhood and now I realize why I was doing this even at an early age. God was preparing me to a contemplative way of live, resting in His divine embrace in peace and joy and living in His Love... through prayer.