Augustinian Canons visiting old haunts

Hovedsak

Five Augustinian Canons contemplate the view across the river Nid to the site where an Augustinian Monastery was situated in Medieval times. We feel the wings of history brushing against us as we later stand together with them on the actual monastic site, in today's Klostergata at Øya, while Egil Mogstad recounts events from the history of the monastery.

From left, Thaddaus from Austria, our Parish Priest Dom Albert Maczka, Novice Master Anton W.Höslinger from Austria, Martin Nguyen from Vietnam and Felix from Croatia.

Our Parish Priest Dom Albert Maczka greatly appreciates this visit from his fellow canons from <link http: www.stift-klosterneuburg.at en external-link-new-window external link in new>Stift Klosterneuburg close to Vienna. For the third year running, Novice Master Mag. Anton W. Höslinger has accepted the invitation of a week's retreat in St. Olav parish in Trondheim. This year he brought three novices who shortly will be taking their first vows.

The Augustinian Canons' primary duty is to serve as priests in the parishes outside the monastery. They have foundations throughout the world, and dom Albert, as parish priest in Trondheim, is proudly serving in the northernmost parish of them all! He explains that the visits from his fellow canons are extremely important for him. These visits from my monastic brothers and the fellowship we share these few days are vital for me. In fact, they are a necessary condition for my work here, he explains.

During a conversation with the web-editors, it becomes apparent that the guests appreciate the freshness and multi-ethnicity of our congregation. They are also very pleased to register the steady growth of the Catholic Church in Norway.

Thaddeus, himself from Austria, where the Catholic Church is a majority Church, finds it instructive to observe how the Church functions in a society where it is very much a minority.

Being in Trondheim, we naturally finish the tour in the Nidaros Cathedral, where Egil Mogstad further describes the presence of the Augustinians during the Middle Ages. As solid evidence of their activity in Nidaros, Mogstad points out the Augustinian Rose which adorns the base of one of the pillars in the Octogon, a rose worth contemplating!  

Read more about <link http: www.katolsk.no praksis klosterliv artikler kap_25 external-link-new-window external link in new> Elgeseter kloster in Nidaros. (Page is in Norwegian, but Wikipedia will translate)