Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church (Minneapolis)
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church of Minneapolis (Norwegian
Den Norske Lutherske Mindekirke), better known as Mindekirken, is a Lutheran church in Minneapolis
in the U.S.
state of Minnesota
. It is one of two American
churches still using Norwegian as a primary liturgical
language, the other being Minnekirken
in Chicago, Illinois. King Harald V of Norway
is the church's patron
.
in response to the rapid abandonment of Norwegian in favor of English among Norwegian Lutheran
churches at that time.
The Norse-American Centennial
Celebration that was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota
, in 1925 to commemorate the 1825 arrival of the Norwegian immigrant
ship Restaurationen
helped provide the impetus for a "memorial" church to be built to house the new congregation. Mindekirken was finally dedicated
on May 4, 1930.
The church has been visited by members of the Norwegian Royal Family
on several occasions, including King Olav V of Norway
's visit on November 4, 1975. (King Olav was the father of the current King, HM Harald V of Norway
.)
"To serve as a spiritual center for the Scandinavian American Community, worshiping in both Norwegian and English. To be a warm and inviting place for visitors and members alike, where people join in fellowship across different ages and cultural backgrounds. To encourage activities such as Leiv Eriksson International Festival, Syttende Mai Celebration, concerts, festive dinners and language classes."
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
Den Norske Lutherske Mindekirke), better known as Mindekirken, is a Lutheran church in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It is one of two American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
churches still using Norwegian as a primary liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
language, the other being Minnekirken
Minnekirken
Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church , also known as Minnekirken, is a Lutheran church in Chicago, Illinois...
in Chicago, Illinois. King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
is the church's patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
.
History
The congregation of Mindekirken was formed in 1922 by the Norwegian Lutheran Church of AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church (United States)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church or ELC was formed in 1917 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America .-Background:The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was formed by merger of the Hauge Synod , the Norwegian Synod , and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America...
in response to the rapid abandonment of Norwegian in favor of English among Norwegian Lutheran
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.-Background:...
churches at that time.
The Norse-American Centennial
Norse-American Centennial
The Norse-American Centennial celebration was held at the Minnesota State Fair from June 7–9, 1925.The event served to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival during 1825 of the Norwegian immigrant ship Restauration. The arrival of this ship is generally considered the first organized...
Celebration that was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, in 1925 to commemorate the 1825 arrival of the Norwegian immigrant
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
ship Restaurationen
Restauration (ship)
Restauration was a sloop built in 1801 in Hardanger, Norway. It became a symbol of Norwegian American immigration. Historical sources may contain several variations on the name of the sloop, including Restauration, Restoration, Restaurasjonen, and Restorasjon.-History:On what is considered the...
helped provide the impetus for a "memorial" church to be built to house the new congregation. Mindekirken was finally dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
on May 4, 1930.
The church has been visited by members of the Norwegian Royal Family
Norwegian Royal Family
The Royal Family of Norway is the family of King Harald V of Norway. In Norway there is a distinction between the Royal House and the Royal Family. The Royal House includes only the King and his spouse, the Queen, the King's eldest son with spouse, being the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and the...
on several occasions, including King Olav V of Norway
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
's visit on November 4, 1975. (King Olav was the father of the current King, HM Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
.)
Mission
Mindekirken's mission statement reads:"To serve as a spiritual center for the Scandinavian American Community, worshiping in both Norwegian and English. To be a warm and inviting place for visitors and members alike, where people join in fellowship across different ages and cultural backgrounds. To encourage activities such as Leiv Eriksson International Festival, Syttende Mai Celebration, concerts, festive dinners and language classes."
See also
- Mindekirken is centrally located in the Ventura VillageVentura Village, MinneapolisVentura Village is a neighborhood within the Phillips community in Minneapolis. Its boundaries are Interstate 35W to the west, Interstate 94 to the north, and Hiawatha Avenue to the east...
neighborhoodNeighborhoods of MinneapolisThe city of Minneapolis, Minnesota is officially defined by the Minneapolis City Council as divided into eleven communities, each containing multiple official neighborhoods. Informally, there are city areas with colloquial labels...
within the PhillipsPhillips, MinneapolisPhillips is a community in Minneapolis, just south of downtown. It is one of the most diverse and culturally-rich communities in Minnesota. Traditionally, it was both a community and a neighborhood . In other words, the Phillips community only contained one neighborhood, also called Phillips...
community of Minneapolis, MN. - Mindekirken is in the Minneapolis Area SynodMinneapolis Area SynodThe Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the largest synod, or diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The synod consists of all the congregations within its territory which is the western metropolitan Twin Cities. The synod is headed by a bishop...
of the ELCA. - Mindekirken was originally a member of the American Lutheran ChurchAmerican Lutheran ChurchThe American Lutheran Church was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, the ALC designated Augsburg Publishing House , also located in Minneapolis, as the church publisher...
(ALC), until January 1, 1988, when it merged with the Lutheran Church in AmericaLutheran Church in AmericaThe Lutheran Church in America was a U.S. and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press....
(LCA) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran ChurchesAssociation of Evangelical Lutheran ChurchesThe Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in 1976, and ended as an independent body when it became part...
(AELC), thus creating the largest Lutheran church body in the United States.
External links
- Mindekirken- Norwegian language church in Minneapolis
- Minnekirken Norwegian language church in Chicago
- Sjømannskirken Website of The Norwegian Church Abroad, which operates churches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, Miami and New York
- Mpls-synod.org of the ELCA
- Mindekirken's listing at the ELCA's Minneapolis Synod web site
- Mindekirken is centrally located in the Ventura Village neighborhood in the Phillips Community of Minneapolis, Minnesota.