Advent in... Norway (Oslo)

Advent coincides with December. We await the light of Christmas while it is still dark. Here in the north of Europe, we notice very clearly that the days become short, thus we embrace the traditions that gather us to celebrate the light, the warmth and community.

Three years ago, some of the sisters attended the traditional Rorate mass in Saint-Sulpice, in Paris. We all thought that this was a tradition we wanted to revive. This year is the second year that we celebrate our daily mass on Thursdays as a Rorate-mass. It is the ordinary mass of the day, but the chapel is mostly lit by candles and the Rorate hymn is sung throughout the mass. We mass is open for everyone as always, but we invited also special the young people living at Katarinahjemmet and in the catholic groups for students and young adults. After mass we invite to breakfast. These have become special mornings and both we and those who join experience that we enter into the spirit of the liturgy of advent.

Advent is also a time for community and some special treats. On the 13th of December we celebrate St. Lucia. There are many traditions connected with this day, but one that we keep at Katarinahjemmet is the special pastry called lussekatter. This year the 13th was a Friday and most of the students had not left for home yet. It became a nice opportunity for a Christmas gathering in the students’ home, combining Lucia celebration with the traditional meal called Christmas porridge. One could wonder why a porridge is a dish associated with Christmas. As it is based on rice and milk, served with butter, sugar and cinnamon, it was considered a very fine dish.

sr. Katarina Pajchel
Oslo, Norvège