Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland
Birgittasøstrene, The Saints of the Bridgetines, have been in Trondheim since 1998. For many years they lived, prayed and worked in an old house, their new monastery with church and guesthouse opened in 2009.
The monastery is built on old farmland, close to where we lived during all the important years when our three oldest kids grew up. We had no idea then that a monastery would be built where we used to go cross country skiing, where I picked the first wild flowers during spring, where I did my long evening walks......where we almost bought an old farmhouse before buying The House in the Woods.
How I would have loved to be a close neighbour of the sisters, of the monastery. Almost inside their inner circle of players, of blessings.
It was not to be. Still I know I am inside their circle. I am with them in their prayers. Ora et labora.
In May I am taking a group of deacons from Nidaros diocese to Roma and Assisi. To prepare for our stay we are studying St.Frances of Assisi and Santa Birgitta of Vadstena/Sweden.
Two weeks ago we had one of our meetings in the monastery, diggging deeper into the lives of the holy saints.
We don't have this holy water close to the entrance in our Lutheran churches. Coming into a Catholic church I always dip my right hand index finger into the water, painting a wet cross in my forehead, saying a silent prayers.
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Last Sunday, February 6, we celebrated The Sami People's Day in Norway. in Nidaros Cathedral we had a mass where we partly used the South Sami language (spoken only by a few handfuls of people). Lithurgical music is made especially for this language, music which easily find its way to my heart. When I woke up this morning it was with one of the hymns, a blessing, filling all of me. I knew deep in my heart that the music, the prayer, the blessing, had been with me all night..............and with it, so had God, my Holy Father.
