Reaching the isolated Catholic outstations of the Diocese of Agats in Papua requires just four things: a fibre motorboat, ample fuel, courage, and a pastoral heart.
This was demonstrated once again on April 11, when Father Anton “Krozak” Tjokro, a diocesan priest of Agats, departed from the diocesan center to bring the Palm Sunday liturgy to far-flung communities of the Asmat people and migrant locals.
“Together with a boat driver and another companion, I left Agats amid heavy rainfall. The fibre motorboat is the only viable mode of transport that allows us to reach these remote interior areas of the diocese,” Father Tjokro told LiCAS News in an interview from Komor Parish on April 12.
The journey to Komor Parish, his first stop, took two hours by river through driving rain. From there, Father Tjokro was set to travel another two to three hours upriver to reach three remote outstations.
“To reach the other outstations, we had to continue traveling for another two to three hours. But all the fatigue and challenges of the journey were rewarded by the joy and enthusiasm of the faithful who were able to celebrate Palm Sunday with a priest,” he shared.
The Diocese of Agats spans a vast network of waterways, where human settlements are scarce, and crocodiles outnumber people.
The rivers are wide and winding—at times so expansive that the riverbanks vanish from sight, giving the illusion of an endless horizon. Access to outstations is only possible by boat, and the arrival of a priest is often a rare and treasured event.
Years earlier, LiCAS News joined Bishop Aloysius Murwito, OFM, on a similar journey to Sagare, the diocese’s most remote outstation.
That mission took nearly nine hours by motorboat, with the path marked by sunbathing crocodiles and the silent, mist-covered banks of Papua’s mighty rivers.
In this rugged terrain, a fibre boat, fuel, resolve, and a missionary spirit remain the lifelines connecting scattered Catholic communities to their Church.
