Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Trondheim
Encyclopedia
Trondheim
, Norway
is the seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature
of Trondheim, which before March 1979 was the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Norway. The prelature leadership is currently vacant following the resignation of Bishop Georg Müller in 2009 and is being administered by Bernt Eidsvig, Bishop of Oslo. The prelature includes parishes in Trondheim
, Kristiansund
, Levanger
, Molde
, and Ålesund
.
drove the Catholic archbishop out of the archdiocese of Nidaros
(Trondheim) in 1537, there were no indications of organized Catholic practice there until 1844, when five residents asked the priest in Oslo to visit them, apparently to help one of their children prepare for First Holy Communion.
In 1872, a Catholic parish was established in Trondheim, with French-born Claude Dumahut as the pastor. In 1875, the church bought property at Stiklestad
in the hopes of building a chapel there to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Olav
at the Battle of Stiklestad
in 1030. Though the parish was founded, and continues to be led by clergy from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
, several monastic orders, among them Salesians
, Sisters of St. Joseph
, Order of St. Elisabeth
, tried with mixed success to establish themselves in the area. A seminary was established in 1880, graduating a small group of priests 1885 that made the first pilgrimage to Stiklestad in hundreds of years.
Additional parishes were founded in Trondheim (Sacred Heart in 1881, and St. Olav in 1902; later merged as St. Olav), Molde (1923), and in 1930 the chapel at Stiklestad was complete in time for the 900th anniversary of the battle there.
In 1935, Central Norway became an apostolic prefecture
. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
, the mostly German-born clergy in the area took part in the Norwegian resistance movement
; one of them, Antonius Deutsch, was subsequently decorated by king Haakon VII
.
In 1953, Central Norway was made an apostolic vicariate
, and the first Catholic bishop was consecrated in Norway since the Reformation. In 1979, the jurisdiction became a prelature.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II visited Trondheim and held an ecumenical service in the Nidaros Cathedral
and a Catholic mass at a nearby sports facility. In 1993, the Church of Norway
authorized a full Catholic mass to be held in the Nidaros Cathedral, for the first time since the Reformation.
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
is the seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature
Territorial Prelate
A territorial prelate is, in Catholic usage, a prelate whose geographic jurisdiction, called territorial prelature, does not belong to any diocese and is considered a particular church....
of Trondheim, which before March 1979 was the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Norway. The prelature leadership is currently vacant following the resignation of Bishop Georg Müller in 2009 and is being administered by Bernt Eidsvig, Bishop of Oslo. The prelature includes parishes in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
, Levanger
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...
, Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
, and Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
.
History
After the Norwegian ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
drove the Catholic archbishop out of the archdiocese of Nidaros
Archdiocese of Nidaros
The Archdiocese of Nidaros was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros...
(Trondheim) in 1537, there were no indications of organized Catholic practice there until 1844, when five residents asked the priest in Oslo to visit them, apparently to help one of their children prepare for First Holy Communion.
In 1872, a Catholic parish was established in Trondheim, with French-born Claude Dumahut as the pastor. In 1875, the church bought property at Stiklestad
Stiklestad
Stiklestad is a village and parish in the municipality of Verdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located east of the municipal center of Verdalsøra and about southeast of Forbregd/Lein. The village is mainly known as the site of the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030...
in the hopes of building a chapel there to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Olav
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
at the Battle of Stiklestad
Battle of Stiklestad
The Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway was killed. He was later canonized...
in 1030. Though the parish was founded, and continues to be led by clergy from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers, priests, and nuns...
, several monastic orders, among them Salesians
Salesians of Don Bosco
The Salesians of Don Bosco is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and poor children of the industrial revolution...
, Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
, Order of St. Elisabeth
Order of St. Elisabeth
The Order of the Sisters of St Elizabeth is a Catholic Church Order founded by Apollonia Radermecher in Aachen in 1622. The order was called after Saint Elisabeth of Hungary . The Sisters of St...
, tried with mixed success to establish themselves in the area. A seminary was established in 1880, graduating a small group of priests 1885 that made the first pilgrimage to Stiklestad in hundreds of years.
Additional parishes were founded in Trondheim (Sacred Heart in 1881, and St. Olav in 1902; later merged as St. Olav), Molde (1923), and in 1930 the chapel at Stiklestad was complete in time for the 900th anniversary of the battle there.
In 1935, Central Norway became an apostolic prefecture
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, the mostly German-born clergy in the area took part in the Norwegian resistance movement
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
; one of them, Antonius Deutsch, was subsequently decorated by king Haakon VII
Haakon VII
Haakon VII may refer to:People* Haakon VII of Norway , King of Norway Ships* HNoMS King Haakon VII, a Royal Norwegian Navy escort ship in commission from 1942 to 1951...
.
In 1953, Central Norway was made an apostolic vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
, and the first Catholic bishop was consecrated in Norway since the Reformation. In 1979, the jurisdiction became a prelature.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II visited Trondheim and held an ecumenical service in the Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
and a Catholic mass at a nearby sports facility. In 1993, the Church of Norway
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
authorized a full Catholic mass to be held in the Nidaros Cathedral, for the first time since the Reformation.
Under the apostolic vicariate in Sweden (until 1868)
- 1843–1868 - Laurentius J. Studach (resident in Sweden)
The apostolic prefecture in Norway (1869-1892)
- 1869–1887 - Bernard BernardBernard BernardBernard Bernard was a French Catholic priest and missionary in Norway, Iceland and Scotland. He was the first Prefect Apostolic of Norway and Lapland from 1869 to 1887.-Life:...
- 1887–1892 - Johannes Olav Fallize
The apostolic vicariate in Norway (1892-1931)
- 1892–1922 - Johannes Olaf Fallize
- 1922–1928 - Johannes Olav Smit
- 1928–1930 - Olav Offerdahl
- 1930–1931 - Henrik Irgens (apostolic administrator)
The missionary district of Central Norway (1931-1935)
- 1931–1932 - Henrik Irgens (apostilic administrator)
- 1932–1935 - Cyprian Witte SS.CC.
The apostolic prefecture Central Norway
- 1935–1945 - Cyprian Witte SS.CC.
- 1945–1953 - Antonius Deutsch SS.CC.
The apostolic vicariate Central Norway
- 1953–1974 - Johannes Rüth SS.CC.
- 1974–1979 - Gerhard Schwenzer SS.CC.
Trondheim prelature
- 1979–1983 - Gerhard Schwenzer SS.CC.
- 1983–1988 - Gerhard Schwenzer, administrator sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
- 1988–1997 - Georg MüllerGeorg Müller (Catholic bishop)Georg Müller, SS.CC. is the former bishop of the Roman Catholic territorial prelature of Trondheim, which encompasses central sections of Norway....
SS.CC., administrator sede vacante - 1997–2009 - Georg Müller SS.CC.
- 2009–present - Bernt Ivar Eidsvig C.R.S.A., administrator sede vacanteSede vacanteSede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...