Mary in Papua New Guinea
Santu Maria, Mama bilong God, pre bilong helpim mipela manmeri bilong nau na long taim mipela i dai. Amen ("Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen'), echoes through the forest, as almost 2,000 men, women and children pray the rosary and sing Marian hymns, while slowly making their way to the isolated site of Maria Helpim Each year, people coming from Madang and more distant areas make the two-hour muddy, uphill and difficult trek to the top of a wooded hill in the surroundings of Madang. At the site, a picture of our Lady of Perpetual Help is attached to a wooden-roofed wall, together with a plaque honouring the missionaries who died in World War II. A statue of the Pieta is carried up to the site and placed in front of the wall under a makeshift shelter. Seated around this shelter, the pilgrims hear a two-hour Mass. Afterwards, many hurry forward to touch the figures of Jesus and Mary while murmuring their individual requests and pledges
This scene is illustrative of how Mary is venerated in Papua New Guinea While supplicants engage in a personal relationship with her, she is asked to address both personal and communal affairs. As spiritual mother, 'Mama Maria' is believed to care for people and guide them through their lives. As mother of God and hence a human woman with great divine po and alliances, Mary is expected to answer all prayers made to her and to overcome evil. As Mediatrix, she is approached as gateway to heaven Embodying the human, the sacred and the mystery, Ma is believed to transcend the boundaries between heaven and earth, thereby having both the power and the compassion to bring about people's admission to heaven and thus their salvation