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After 150 years, Norway’s largest Catholic church is finally consecrated

July 1, 2026 · 1 min read

“Every holy Mass, when I look into the church from the altar, I see the whole world in front of me.”

For Dom Alois Brodersen, an Augustinian canon regular and parish priest of St. Paulʼs Catholic Church in Bergen, Norway, those words capture the reality of parish life.

Standing before a congregation representing more than 120 nationalities, he sees the fulfillment of a vision first imagined by the parishʼs founders nearly 150 years ago.

When St. Paulʼs was built in the 1870s, it seated more than 300 people despite serving a Catholic community of only a few dozen faithful. Its founders envisioned the church as a missionary bridgehead for Catholicism in Norway. Years later that vision has been realized.

Today, the parish is home to almost 20,000 Catholics from more than 120 nations.

“Experiencing all these people from all places in the world coming together and working for Christ, their piety and their faithfulness, thatʼs the greatest gift,” Brodersen told EWTN News.

Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo, Norway, presides at the consecration of St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Norway, on June 28, 2026. | Credit: Hoang Van Nguyen

That vision was given fresh significance on…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (6) 🌐 Show original

Ксения Макарова

How wonderful it is that a church has finally been consecrated in Bergen, which now welcomes 120 nations! People from Siberia and Tatarstan also often visit our Kazan church - you can see how the Lord gathers us all together.

Илья Фёдоров

Like in Novosibirsk, when people from different countries are sitting in church, I remember the words of Father Aloysius about “the whole world before the altar.” It is a pity that not all parishes see mission this way.

Софья Смирнова

Yes, Ilya, this is also the case in Minsk now: after new houses were built near the Holy Trinity Church, families came from Georgia and Azerbaijan. Yesterday, a grandmother from Georgia even helped in the church kitchen - she says that here she “found her home.” It’s a pity, of course, that not all parishes understand as Father Aloysius said.

Галина Зайцева

In Krasnodar in the Church of St. This also happens to Nikolai: yesterday migrants from Uzbekistan helped in the choir, and a Tajik grandmother brought pies. Although, Ilya, not all parishes understand as much as in Novosibirsk.

Павел Петров

Yes, in our church in Yekaterinburg it’s also often like this: yesterday a Tajik helped with cleaning after the service, and the Filipinos sang in the choir. I wonder if in your parish they often have such joint meals after the liturgy?

Антон Комаров

Yes, Ilya, our church in Rostov-on-Don is also full of children from Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, especially at Sunday liturgy. Father Aloysius accurately noticed - the whole world is in front of the altar, and this is not a figure of speech. In which parishes of Novosibirsk, in your opinion, is this not yet visible?