KKV (Kirkelig kulturverksted) moved into the church building at the bottom of Grünerløkka on February 18, 2000. For almost as many years, the university chaplains from the Church of Norway have held Jakob Masses on Sunday evenings, from September to Advent and from January to Easter. This was celebrated on Sunday with freshly baked buns and distinguished guests.
Celebrated with the new bishop
In 2000, it was the then-Bishop, Gunnar Stålsett, who officiated the first service. At Sunday’s Jakob Mass, the new Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver, participated along with university chaplain Kjersti Østland Midttun. Gylver was a chaplain in Oslo in the early 2000s and shared before the service that she has personally enjoyed attending these evening services. Whether she was accompanied by her singing dog, the Prime Minister, or another friend.
The heart and pulse
KKV describes the Jakob Mass as the heart and pulse of the Jakob Church of Culture. They are continuous workshops that, with their liturgy, music, and text, as well as their focus on faith and doubt, longing, and belonging, significantly contribute to the diversity of Norwegian services. Erik Hillestad, along with Karoline Krüger and Øyvind Kristiansen, has created a total of seven different Jakob Masses that are celebrated alternately throughout the semesters.
In addition, the university chaplains have developed a special Christmas hymn service for the first Sunday of Advent and an Easter hymn service for the second day of Easter. These services are celebrated without traditional sermons, instead incorporating literary texts and current news items to reflect the biblical texts that generally follow the ecclesiastical calendar.
A unique opportunity
For the university chaplains, the services at the Jakob Church of Culture provide a rhythm throughout the week. The chaplain at UiO, Kjersti Østland Midttun, explains that the services offer a unique opportunity to highlight themes and thoughts that have emerged in conversations with students during the week.
- As chaplains, we have a space through the Jakob Mass where we can express some of what impacts us, in an anonymized and responsible manner, through texts and prayers, she says.
She elaborates that the service and church are places where students can, under the cover of night, connect with a chaplain outside the university, a tradition that has continued for nearly a quarter century.
The last Jakob Masses of the semester are on February 23 and March 2, at 8 p.m. Additionally, the Easter hymn service will be celebrated on Monday, April 21, at 8 p.m.