Boom: Explosive Growth in Number of Catholics Requires New Cathedral in Norway

Aletelia ^ | January 6, 2016 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[NYer]

This is a nice problem to have to solve.

Details (via Google translate):

With faulty acoustics and its 200 seats, the former cathedral of St. Olav, consecrated in 1973 no longer met the needs of the Catholic community in Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city.

While in 1973 there were only 500 Catholics in the city and its surroundings, they are now more than 6,000, arrived with the oil boom and economic prosperity. The city also has a technical university that attracts foreign students and researchers. “Today there are more than 25% of Norwegian origin” among registered Catholics in the diocese of Trondheim, observes the parish priest, Egil P. Mogstad. Among the hundred nationalities, Poles represent over half of the faithful.

Also, the new St. Olav’s Cathedral, under construction since the fall, is it welcomed by the Mayor of Trondheim, the Labor Rita Ottervik as “a symbol of integration” for his town of about 180,000 inhabitants. In the future building, which is scheduled to open in spring 2017, some 500 faithful can attend Masses celebrated in eight languages. “It would have been difficult to build largest in the city center, on the site of the ancient cathedral,” says Fr. Mogstad.

Read on.

[NYer]

Catholic ping!

[Tax-chick]

... they are now more than 6,000, arrived with the oil boom and economic prosperity ...

Poles, Slovaks, Filipinos?

And will they leave now that oil is crashing?

[null and void]

Explosive. Cathedrals.

Two words the imported refujidadis will make sure are inextricably linked in everyone’s minds...

[meatloaf]

They’re probably still outnumbered by the Muslims.

[MRadtke]

Actually I thought they were all Lutherans over there.

[Fhios]

The way I read the article, I felt the pretext was white Scandinavians types pulling their children out of public education because of the influx of Muslims..

[GonzoII]

You can turn this (exagerated):

“ “Myra Belle “Sally” Miller — the 195”8 Miss Arkans”as who said in 19”92 that she had ”had an affair with Clin”ton in 1983. ”She claimed” that she” had been ”warned no”t to go public by a Demo”cratic” Party official: “They knew that I went jogg”ing by myself and he couldn’t guar”antee what would happen to my pr”etty little legs.” “

Into this:

"Myra Belle "Sally" Miller -- the 1958 Miss Arkansas who said in 1992 that she had had an affair with Clinton in 1983. She claimed that she had been warned not to go public by a Democratic Party official: "They knew that I went jogging by myself and he couldn't guarantee what would happen to my pretty little legs."

Real easy here:

Replace smart quotes with regular straight quotes

[Vigilanteman]

Why would they? They are willing to do manual labour which Norway's imported Muslims generally are not.

Plus Norway has some of the most generous welfare plans in Europe. I've heard that even the unemployed are treated to a one week paid vacation in spa towns and the like.

Interestingly, the Polish are the biggest foreign group in Iceland (settled by the Norsemen) for much the same reasons.

Plus, some of the most impressive Catholic cathedrals in the world were built by the Norsemen in Greenland when they were there 950-1430 or so. Yes, they are missing roofs now, but still extremely impressive when one considers the Norse community in Greenland was probably never more than 12,000 or so.

[Tax-chick]

Good point.

[Vigilanteman]

Correction: Circa 980 is generally given as the date of settlement of Greenland, though I am not sure why a ± 15 years would not apply here just as the 1430 date ± 15 years would to the demise.

985 is recorded as a first landing date in Vinland (modern Newfoundland) which was thought to have taken place when a merchant fleet from Iceland to Greenland was blown off-course.

[Organic Panic]

....Complete with Muslim prayer rooms and foot washing stations.

[Salvation]

God bless them as they build a truly beautiful cathedral and not a box like the previous one.

[Biggirl]

Yet the Gospel gors out into the world .

[Captain Peter Blood]

I suspect that the continued influx of Muslim refugees into Europe just might spark a religious revival.

Since the admittance of all of these refugees the crime rate has gone through the roof, people are on edge and all it will take for a full blown crisis is the right mix of outrage.

[LadyDoc]

there are 12000 Filipinos living there, and I wonder if anyone is including them in the total?

Some are wives who probably converted to their husband’s faith, some are Protestant, and some don’t practice due to lack of opportunity to go to church because of their work.

So the increased number may not be a true picture...