ST HALLVARD´S CATHOLIC CHURCH IN OSLO

English

St Hallvard´s Church

The parish is spread over an area which is not only large in size but also the most dense-ly populated area in Norway. When the church of St Hallvard was consecrated May 15 1966, the parish numbered 1000 souls. Today, in 2010, the parish has 12 000 registered parishioners in addition to a large number of unregistered members. Most of the parishioners are first or sec-ond generation immigrants or asylum seekers from other coun-tries and continents. Masses are therefore celebrated in English, Polish, Vietnamese and Tamil, as well as Norwegian, in order to meet the language needs of the largest groups.

At the present time as many as eight Masses are celebrated ev-ery Sunday at the church. (See Mass times on back of fold-er) Mass is also celebrated in the church at Holmlia and in Skoklefall Church at Nesodden. A new church is being planned

to be built at Mortensrud, south of Oslo. On weekdays an eve-ning Mass is celebrated at 6 pm in the chapel. Prior to the eve-ning Mass there is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. There is also the opportunity for the Sac-rament of penance (Confession) in several languages. In May and October, the months of Mary, the Rosary is prayed after the evening Mass. During Lent the Mass is followed by the Stations of the Cross.

History When the parish was established in 1890 it was served by secular priests. In 1954 the running of the parish was transferred to the Franciscans who came from their province in the Nether-lands. Later they were relieved by Franciscans from Poland. Since 2008 the parish has again been run by secular priests.

When the present day church was built, a monastery was also

St Hallvard´s Church is a Catholic parish church in the diocese of Oslo.

St Hallvard´s Church

built for the Franciscans. The monastery has since been recon-structed as flats for the secular priests.

The church lies in the middle of Enerhaugen, a suburb close to the city centre, and is sur-rounded by the distinctive tall buildings of the area and were designed by the architects Kjell Lund and Nils Slaatto.

The large and densely populated parish of St Hallvard includes all of the eastern area of Oslo, extending from the city centre and out to all the adjoining sub-urbs and townships north, east and south. This covers parts of Groruddalen in Oslo, Ski, Follo, Oppegård, Ås, Enebakk, Ne-sodden and Frogn. Altogether

about 140 different nationalities are represented.

The planning and building of St Hallvard Church began in 1959, initiated by the Dutch Francis-cans and Bishop John Willem Gran. On May 15, the feast day of Oslo´s patron saint, St Hall-vard, the new church was conse-crated.

St Hallvard lived in the 12th century. He was well-born, of royal blood. He lived on the farm Huseby in Lier, north of Drammen. In an attempt to save a pregnant woman fleeing from some men who accused her of theft he was shot with three ar-rows and killed. His body was thrown into the fjord with a millstone round its neck. Later his body was discovered float-ing on the surface, glowing radi-antly. It was taken to Oslo, and placed in a shrine. Hallvard was declared a saint. Since then St Hallvard has been the patron saint of Oslo. He is depicted on the coat of arms of the city.

St Hallvard´s Church

The construction of St Hallvard’s church,

Enerhaugen

The architects chose rough ma-terials. The church is a modern construction in brick, glass and concrete, influenced by the ar-chitectural trends on the Con-tinent at that time. The main form of the building is a square which encloses the circular sa-cred room. In addition there is a rectangular chapel. Seen form outside, the church appears as a solid mass of burnt bricks, apart from a wall of windows facing the fjord on the southern side. In 1993 an addition was completed, which houses the parish hall, a kitchen and offices for The Fran-ciscan Charitable Trust.

The parish office lies in the south-west corner on the ground floor, under the original parish hall on the first floor. The southern wall of windows facing the fjord comprises offices for the priests on the ground floor, and living quarters for the par-ish priest on the first floor, and for the chaplains on the second floor. There is a wonderful view over Oslo, Bunnefjord, Bjørvika and Ekebergåsen.

The circular shape of the sacred room is meant to express the spirit of fellowship around the altar, the central and highest point in the room, thus empha-sizing the presence of God with-in the parish community. The gradual elevation of the floor up towards the altar reinforces this impression. The walls slope gradually outwards, 3 degrees, for acoustic reasons. Apart from the large glass entrance door, no natural light slips into the sacred room. There is a need for electric lighting in order for the priest and parishioners to be able to read.

St Hallvard´s Church

It is the originality of the ceil-ing which arouses most won-der: it falls down into the sacred room, a shell of reinforced con-crete. The “anti-cupola” is both awe-inspiring and consoling. It seems as if here God is bending down to his creation, unlike the classic cupola which stretches up towards God in heaven. The church seats from 300 to 350, with additional seating for 70 in the chapel.

DECORATIONIn accordance with Franciscan spirituality the church is very simply decorated. The Byzan-tine crucifix behind the altar, painted by Anne-Lise Knoff and students form the art school

in Buskerud, is a copy of the crucifix which spoke to St. Fran-cis in San Damiano Church in Assisi. On October 5 1986 St Hallvard´s Church received its St. Damiano Cross.

The 15 Stations of the Cross are by Herman Bongard. The bronze sculpture of St. Hall-vard, by the Polish artist Krzysz-tof Piotrobski, was blessed by Bishop Bernt Eidsvig 29 April 2008. In a column cleft to the right of the altar can be seen, some-what dimly, a wooden statue of St. Francis, made by the sculptor Ragnhild Butenschøn.

The Madonna statue is under the

St Hallvard´s Church

canopy in the passage between the church interior and the Sac-ramental Chapel. The original statue, which was from the pre-vious St. Hallvard´s Church in a house in Urtegaten, was van-dalised in 2004 and replaced by this one.

The painting above the altar in the Sacramental Chapel is by Anne-Lise Knoff. The cross is surrounded by Nor-wegian motives based on a leg-end from Hedal Stave Church about the bear which was dis-covered in the church after the

Black Death. The frieze of scenes from the life of St Francis of Assisi is painted by Liv Benedicte Nielsen. The figure of Christ on the wall in the Sacramental Chapel is originally from Mexico. A decorative stone built into the wall at the side entrance is a fragment from the medieval Hallvard Church in Gamlebyen.

In the Chapel for Baptism the four concrete mouldings portray baptism symbolised with Bibli-cal motives. The work is by the Dutch Franciscan Renald Rats.

St Hallvard´s Church

Sunday: 9.30 am and 11 am: High Mass (In Norwegian) 1 pm: Mass in Polish 2.30 pm: Mass in Vietnamese on 2nd and 4th Sundays each month 4 pm: Mass in English 5.30 pm: Mass in Tamil

The first Sunday each month: Family Mass 11 am

Monday to Friday: 5 pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and confession 6 pm: Mass

Saturday: 11 am: Mass 5 pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and confession 6 pm: Mass 7 pm: Mass in Polish

Wednesday and Saturday also at 11 am.

In May and October, and dur-ing Lent, there are devotions after the evening Mass.

Masses

Holmlia: 5 pm: Mass in Holmlia

Church.

Nesodden: 1.30 pm: Mass in Skoklefall

Church - 1st and 3rd Sundays each month.

+OFFICE HOURS AND ADDRESSES:

The office is open on weekdays from 9 am until 3 pm

Telephone: 23 30 32 00 Fax: 23 30 32 01

E.mail: oslo-st.hallvard@katolsk.no Blogg: http://www.st-hallvardmenighet.blogspot.com

St. Hallvard´s Church is under a preservation order and needs support for maintenance. If you wish to support the

work of the parish and maintenance of the church contributions can be sent to bank account: 3000 22 49134

Letters and visiting address: St. Hallvard´s Church, Enerhauggata 4, 0651 Oslo

The closest station on the suburban line (T-bane): Tøyen