ANDERS ARBORELIUS

SAINT THERESE
OF LISIEUX
IN NORTHERN EUROPE

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 SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX IN NORTHERN EUROPE 609

SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX

IN NORTHERN EUROPE *

The countries of Northern Europe, Sweden, Denmark,

Norway, Finland and Iceland, have a very small Catholic
population. Since the Reformation in the 16th century
these countries are almost totally Protestant. Today, though,
the population is secularized to a great extent. As a matter
of fact, Northern Europe is regarded as one of the most
secularized parts of the world. Owing to conversions, and
above all to immigration, the number of Catholics has
grown lately, especially in Sweden (nearly 2% of the
population) and in Norway. As these circumstances imply, a
Saint such as Thérèse of Lisieux cannot be expected to have
a wide influence. Still, some traces of her spritual impact
can be found even in this part of the world.

Thérèse and the Carmelite Order

In the 1950’s a group of Carmelite Nuns from Ghent,
Belgium, arrived in Sweden in order to establish a
foundation. After many difficulties, owing to the fact that
Swedish law then prohibited the existence of monasteries,
the Carmel of the Merciful Love was founded at Glumslöv,
outside Helsingborg. This name, actually, was chosen as a
tribute to St. Thérèse, whose influence was all-
encompassing in the Carmel of Ghent. This spiritual
heritage has always been cherished by the Carmelite Nuns
of Glumslöv. Many of the Scandinavian sisters have
received their vocation through contact with the Saint.

* El autor de estas páginas ha sido elegido obispo de Estocolmo

(Suecia) el día 17 de noviembre de 1998. La dirección del ABCT
agradece esta colaboración.

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In 1967 Carmelite Fathers from Belgium established a

foundation at Norraby-Tagarp, in the same district as the
sisters. A founder of this community, Wilfrid Stinissen, has
become one of the most widely read writers on spirituality
in Northern Europe. His vision on the spiritual life is clearly
influenced by St. Thérèse, e.g. the accent on abondonment,
complete surrender to God, and acceptance of our own
smallness. Thus, Christians of all denominations, as well as
non-Christians interested in spiritual matters, have been
touched by the message of the Saint, thanks to his books.

Translation of Her Works

When History of a Soul appeared and made its

triumphant progress throughout the world, it was also
translated into Swedish (1939) and Danish. As early as 1926,
a Swedish author, Gurli Pipping, had written a biography of
the Saint. When the final edition of Thérèse’s Autobiography
and her Last Conversations appeared, they were also
published in Swedish by the Carmelites (in 1971 and 1988).
The study of Conrad de Meester, With Empty Hand, was also
translated into Swedish. A Finnish translation of the
Autobiograhy is due.

Thérèse - the Catholic Answer to Luther

The theological and ecumenical impact of Saint Thérèse

can be summarized in a phrase written by a famous
Lutheran nun in Sweden, Marianne Nordstrom: "Thérèse is
the Catholic answer to Martin Luther.” As a matter of fact,
there are some basic notions that are found both in Luther
and Thérèse: salvation as a gratuitous gift of God's grace,
and the poverty and weakness of man who has to rely on
God’s infinite mercy alone.
Gunnel Vallquist, one of the four Roman Catholic
members of the Royal Academy of Sweden, wrote an article
in Svenska Dagbladet, the Conservative newspaper of
Stockholm, in 1973 where she stressed the importance of
St. Therese's vision for a deeper ecumenical dialogue
between Catholics and Protestans.

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Catharina Stenqvist, who teaches Philosophy of

Religion at the University of Lund, Sweden, in a recent
publication (1994), Förundran och förändring (Wonder and
Change), on mysticism gives much heed to Thérèse. She
stresses the centrality of love and humility in her vision but,
on the other hand, seems to give too much importance to
Thérèse’s veneration of Our Lady. As some Protestants do,
she even claims that there is an "adoration" of Mary in the
message of Therese.

Among the Authors

A typical phenomenon in Northern Europe is that quite

a number of well-known authors, artists etc. have been
received into the Catholic Church. Some of them have
written about St. Therese. Sven Stolpe, one of the most
famous Swedish converts, who died in 1996, has written
three essays on her. The Swedish poet, Ingemar Leckius,
wrote a poem about her. Even Majken Johansson, another
poet who was a member of the Salvation Army, had
dedicated one of her poems to Thérèse.

Popular Devotion

Only two churches in the Nordic countries are

dedicated to St. Thérèse. One is situated in Charlottenlund
— a suburb of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, where
the church stands adjacent to a R.C. school founded by the
Sisters of the Assumption. The other church is situated in a
smaller town in Norway, Hönefoss.
The statue of Thérèse is rarely to be found in R.C.
churches in Scandinavia. As a matter of fact, popular
devotions of any kind are quite rare in this part of the
world. A little story, though, can give us a glimpse of the
faith in the power of Thérèse’s intercession among Catholic
immigrants in Sweden. Brother Gabriel, a Passionist from
Britain, has written about how he was helped by the Saint,
when some objects needed for a new church were not
allowed to enter Sweden during a dockers’ strike. After

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negotiations with the dockers which ended without any

result whatsoever, he turned to Thérèse using the invocation
"Little Flower show your power”, that used to be so
popular among Catholics in his native Britain. Actually, the
objects needed for the new church were the only items
allowed to enter Sweden during that strike.

Celebration of the Centenary

During the centenary, the Carmelite fathers have

preached various retreats on Saint Thérèse, e.g. in the
Protestant Retreat Centre of Rättvik Sweden), for
communities of Religious such as the Benedictine Sisters of
Borghamn and the Sisters of Saint Bridget (both in
Sweden), and for an ecumenical group of lay-people in Lem
(Denmark).
Conferences have been held in order to make the Saint
more known in different places such as Stockholm and
Växjö (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), Tromso
(Norway), Espoo (Finland), and Tallinn (Estonia). Not only
the Carmelite Fathers have held conferences on Thérèse but
also a Dominican scholar on her doctrine Patrick-
Dominique Linck, and the pastor of the Cathedral of
Stockholm Monsignor Lars Cavallin, who is also a member
of the Secular Order of Carmel.
In May a pilgrimage to Lisieux was organized with one
of the Carmelite Fathers as spiritual assistent. About 20
people took part — mostly members of the Swedish
fraternity of the Secular Order, but also a member of the
newly-established group of Finnish — Estonian tertiaries as
well as some Lutherans, three of whom were ministers.
On May 19th, 1997 the main celebration of the
Centenary took place in the Carmel of Glumslöv. The entire
Carmelite family of Sweden and Denmark gathered for a
fraternal get-together.
The possible arrival in Sweden of the Carmelite Sisters
of the Sacred Heart (motherhouse in Guadalajara, Mexico)
could well be regarded as a consequence of the Centenary.
The long-planned establishment of a foundation of theirs in
the university city of Lund would now appear likely to

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come to fruition. Thus, the presence of this more missionary

and apostolic branch of Carmel would make the Carmelite
presence in Northern Europe more complete.

Publications during the Centenary

1. Books

Ingeborg OBEREDER, Thérèse - min basta vän, Sankt Eriks

Bokklubb, Maria immaculata, Gränna, 1997, 107 pp.

Kjell Arild POLLESTAD, Thérèse, En kjärlighetshistorie fra

virkeligheten, J.W. appelens Forlag, Oslo, 1997, 143 pp.

THERESE AV JESUSBARNET, Min vag är förtröstan och

kärlek, Karmeliterna, Tagarp-Glumslöv, 1997, 128 pp.

2. Articles

Anders ARBORELIUS o.c.d., Thérèse av Jesusbamet och det

heliga Anletet, En kyrkolärares lilla katekes, in
KARMEL 32 (1997) 94-95.

Emmanuel MARTENS o.c.d., En vägvisare till heligheten, in

KARMEL 31 (1996) 115-117.

Victor SION o.c.d., Till Dig blickar jag upp, - i böneskola hos
Thérèse av Lisieux, in KARMEL 32 (1997) 23-30; 40-
43; 71-74;110-113.

Ylva-Kristina SJÖBLOM, En av de svagaste blir en av de

främsta, in SVENSKA DAGBLADET, Nov. 2nd, 1997,
p. 18.

Wilfrid STINISSEN o.c.d., Thérèse av Lisieux: den rakaste

vagen till Gud, in PILGRIM 4 (1997) 41-45.

Gunnel VALLQUIST, Thérèse av Lisieux - en kyrkolärare för

vär tid, in SIGNUM 23 (1997) 174-176.

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