It also symbolizes the boat that brought the first French settlers to Canada. For this Ark is a preparation for the Eucharistic Congress that will be held in Quebec City in June 2008—the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Catholic Church in Canada.

Building this Ark was an idea that came out of the Youth Summit held in Quebec City in 2005. The young people attending it knew how meaningful the World Youth Day Cross had been—the life-size cross, which young people had brought across Canada in preparation for World Youth Day Toronto 2002. Now the Ark, too, is going across Canada, as a preparation for the Eucharistic Congress.

The top of the Ark has been fashioned to hold a monstrance for adoration, and eight icons adorn it, each an icon of an event in the life of Christ connected with the Eucharist.

The hosting of the Ark is a wonderful occasion for prayer and adoration, and for learning more about and increasing devotion to the Eucharist.

As with the Youth Day Cross, people venerate the Ark. And in its hollow bottom, they put their "pledges," six promises to the Eucharistic Lord, promises which will deepen their love and commitment to the Eucharist. These pledges from all over Canada will be brought to the Congress.

The Ark is, of course, on a tight schedule, and we were allowed to host it, when it came to our diocese, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Our event was an example of "man proposes but God disposes," for there was a heavy snowstorm that day. The children from the parish school were to have come for an hour, but though the Ark made it here, the school buses were not running. So the school was closed.

Several nearby families, however, showed up, and their children, though relatively few in number, were beautifully responsive.

Two staff—Jeanne Guillemette and Anne Marie Murphy—having prepared child-level teachings and witnessing, gave them, and the children of God, adults included (both us and some local people who braved the storm), seemed very attentive.

We brought lit candles and pledges to the Ark, and had Mass, a rosary, and time for silent adoration and for venerating the Ark.

It wasn’t only in Combermere that Madonna House was involved with the Ark of the New Covenant. Madonna House Toronto, especially in the person of Carol Ann Gieske, worked with representatives of nine other new lay communities and movements in the Toronto area to organize the hosting of the Ark at a parish church.

(Carol Ann serves on the archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress Committee as liaison to the lay movements.)

At the Toronto event, they had a procession, a time of silent adoration, a rosary, teachings, a solemn Eucharistic holy hour, and Mass celebrated by the auxiliary bishop of Toronto. Approximately 700 people attended. It was a wonderful example of lay groups and a parish working together, and the staff of MH Toronto were thrilled with the whole event.

Now we are looking forward to and praying for the Eucharistic Congress to be held in June 2008. May it be a time of an outpouring of grace on Quebec and on the whole Canadian Church.

For more information about the Ark of the New Covenant, see www.cei2008.ca