What would St. Olav think?
I recently spent 18 beautiful days in Norway and can’t wait to share all that I’ve learned with each of you. What an amazing country. The scenery was breathtaking at every turn. Stay tuned for lots of blogs and beautiful PICTURES of NORWAY and all that she has to offer.
My first blog on this beautiful country begins with the patron saint of Norway, St. Olav II Haraldsson.
St. Olav is responsible for the dramatic shift in Norway from a polytheistic religion to Christianity in the early 8th century. By the 1500s, Norway broke away from the Roman Catholic Church with the royal family taking the lead and converting to Lutheranism.
As of 2021, 68.1% of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. The second largest religious group is Muslim at 3.4% of the population. The Catholic Church is the next largest religious group with only 3.1% of the population.
St. Olav was ruthless and focused on spreading Christianity in Norway and freeing his country from the domination of Denmark and Sweden. There is a Viking series on Netflix that includes a true portrayal of St. Olav and his determination to meet his goals. I highly recommend the series. It is quite violent but very well done!
St. Olav is respected as a champion of Norwegian independence. He is also considered the great Norwegian legislator for the Catholic Church. St. Olav was determined to eradicate heathenism and make the Christian religion the basis for his kingdom.
During the same period of the 8th century, St. Boniface, an English Benedictine monk was a prominent figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission of the Frankish Empire. Regarding our duties toward the Church, St. Boniface wrote:
“In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.” (St. Boniface)
St. Olav worked mightily to bring Christianity, in the only form that existed – Catholicism – to Norway. By the 1500s, that changed with the Protestant Reformation.
I can’t help but wonder if St. Olav would approve of the change or if he would agree with St. Boniface and never abandon the ship.
In Oslo, the capital of Norway, there is a Roman Catholic Cathedral named in honor of the great Norwegian saint – St. Olav.
I had the opportunity to attend Mass at this beautiful cathedral during my visit.
The Catholic presence in Norway is growing and I believe St. Olav is pleased.
I visited several other churches in Norway both Catholic and Protestant. Stay tuned for more blogs and pictures of these beautiful places of worship.
Let me know in the comments below if you have ever been to Norway or if you have relatives from Norway. Is Norway on your bucket list? If so, dress warmly – even if you plan a summer visit.
Stay tuned for an update on my travel accessories page. I’ll be adding all the winter gear I used to make this trip truly enjoyable – even though it was bitterly cold!
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