Get your calendars ready! Today I want to tell you about upcoming activities and events. The 20th of March we will see “Dead man walking” – 7 pm at Domkyrkoforumet. The following discussion will be about revenge and forgiveness. Free coffee/the and cake included. The 17th of April we will see “The way”. This evening we are visited by our minister in charge of pilgrimage Anna Alebo, who some of you have met. The discussion afterwards will be about “praying with your feet”. The 22nd of April we are once again visited by Lund’s International Student Choir. The Holy Communion Service will be at the High Altar this Sunday. The 13th of May we will be visited by people from England – a congregation from Southwell. Canon John Toy will do the sermon this day. I’m also planning a pilgrimage to Holy places here in Lund and an International Pot-luck. I will get back to you with more information concerning those activities. All of you are also welcome to join the guided tours of the Cathedral the last Sunday in every month at 14.50. I offer these guided tour to International students and they have become quite popular. Last Sunday 80 students came!
Please also join us this coming Sunday for Holy Communion Service in the Cathedral at 5 pm. Coffee afterwards will be at Liberiet. Readings: Genesis 32:22-31, 2 Cor 6:1-10, Matthew 15: 21-28.

Last Tuesday, me and a couple of others saw the movie Romero about Oscar Romero (read more about him in last week’s blog). The day after Lent started. Seeing the movie was, to me, a great way to start preparing for Lent. Oscar Romero gave his life to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Lent is a time when we prepare ourselves for the meeting with the risen Christ. A time when we try even harder to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Lent should be a time when we sacrifice something of our own as a sacrifice to God. We can give our time – volunteering for some charity or visiting someone who needs visiting. We can give money – helping others affected by war, famine or poverty. These are things, we as Christians, always should do, but during lent – even more so!
Please join us tomorrow for Holy Communion Service in the Cathedral at 5 pm.

The life of Oscar Romero has always inspired me as a Christian. This is what Wikipedia writes about him. Oscar Romero was bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. On 23 February 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of El Salvador. His appointment was met with surprise, dismay, and even incredulity. While this appointment was welcomed by the government, many priests were disappointed, especially those openly aligning with Marxism. The Marxist priests feared that his conservative reputation would negatively affect liberation theology’s commitment to the poor. On 12 March 1977, Rutilio Grande, a progressive Jesuit priest and personal friend of Romero who had been creating self-reliance groups among the poor campesinos, was assassinated. His death had a profound impact on Romero, who later stated, “When I looked at Rutilio lying there dead I thought, ‘If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path’”.Romero urged Arturo Armando Molina’s government to investigate, but they ignored his request. Furthermore, the censored press remained silent.
In response to Fr. Rutilio’s murder, Romero revealed a radicalism that had not been evident earlier. Traditionally, the church had been complicit in the aims of the state and military to privilege the wealthy and powerful while the majority of the population remained in abject poverty. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. Romero was shot on 24 March 1980, while celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital called “La Divina Providencia”, one day after a sermon where he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God’s higher order and to stop carrying out the government’s repression and violations of basic human rights. According to an audio-recording of the Mass, he was shot while elevating the chalice at the end of the Eucharistic rite.
After his assassination a cause for beatification and canonization into sainthood was opened for Romero, and Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the title of Servant of God. The canonization process continues. He is considered by some the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador and is often referred to as “San Romero” by Catholics in El Salvador. Outside of Catholicism, Romero is honored by other religious denominations of Christendom, including the Church of England through the Calendar in Common Worship. He is one of the ten 20th century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London, a testament to his wide respect even beyond the Catholic Church. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different View.
This coming Tuesday (21/1) we will se the film “Romero” followed by coffee and a discussion. You are most welcome.
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In the beginning of every term I usually visit contacts at the University to give them current information about the Student Chaplaincy. It is always good to keep in touch and I quite enjoy “doing the rounds”. From time to time I come across people who tell me that they had been looking for an English-speaking congregation for a long time before finding us. I try to put out information about us as much as I can, but I need help. Please tell people you think might be interested in us about us! I also need leads to follow up. If you tell me who to get in touch with – I will contact them. I could, for instance, be companies with lots of international employees or groups/situations where people from different parts of the world gather. I think that there are lots of people interested in us out there, people who would come if they only knew about our services. Help me spread the word!

I’m already fortunately enough to have people who help me with coffee after the Service and with reading and collection. However, Lisa from Australia, who was with us most of last year, suggested that we make a roster so that more people can be involved in the congregation. I think that it is a great idea. I want people to be involved – to feel that the congregation is our mutual responsibility. There are several assignments that are available. Before, during and after the Holy Communion Service we need help with the following – someone who greets people when they come and make them feel at home, someone willing to read the Bible readings, someone to do the collection, someone to help at the distribution. Afterwards we need help with coffee and cleanup after. I’m going to make a roster that you can fill out in the Cathedral or at coffee afterwards.
Please join us this coming Sunday when you will here about my meeting with the Vice President of the Philippines which taught me a thing or two about how expectations can lead you in the wrong direction. Bible readings: 1 Sam 1:21-28, 1 Joh 1:5-7, Luke 2:22-40.

This coming Sunday our Holy Communion Service will be visited by 25 Swedish confirmands. The Cathedral always attracts lots of different visitors and unlikely meetings take place. It is one of the things I like about it. So let’s take good care of our visitors this Sunday. I’m also working on some different social activities that will take place this spring. Three Tuesday evenings we will watch a movie and have a discussion afterwards. There will be pot-lucks instead of coffee after the Holy Communion Service on some Sundays. I’m also planning a pilgrime. This Sunday we will talk about Storms we might encounter in life. Is it un-Christian to be afraid and to worry? The Readings are Job 38:1-11, 2 Cor 1:8-11, Mark 4:35-41. Please us for Holy Communion Service at 5 pm this coming Sunday in the Cathedral.

If you were sitting in the cock-pit of an airplane that was falling from the sky – what would you do? Most of us would probably struggle with the controls into the very last second. Few of us would probably think of letting go of the controls. Being in control is a big thing with most of us. When we lose control we spend all our energy trying to regain control. But sometimes we would be better of just letting go. Let go, let God is an English expression some of you have probably heard before. Trusting God instead of trusting ones own ability and strength is not easy. It takes a lot of courage to show ones weakness. Still, we need to let go to let God. The gospel tells us that the people who rejected Jesus were people who didn’t think they need any help. The ones who embraced Jesus were the ones who saw their own weakness and need. The same is true today. Please join us this coming Sunday at 5 pm for Holy Communion Service in the cathedral. Readings: 1 King 8:41-43, Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 8:5-13.

The time has come to summarize 2011. Looking back we went from having our Services in three different places during spring to a permanent place and time in the Cathedral this fall – 5pm every Sunday. Attendance doubled during 2011! Some Sundays we ran out of hymnals and it was standing room only. Then our hymnals were stolen! But with God’s help, and with the help of Art Keith, we got 50 new ones. We saw a lot of great people come and go. That is the sad part of being an international congregation – people come here to work or study and then they leave. I wish we could keep you all! From a personal point of view, this has probably been my best year as a minister. I had so much fun and meet so many great people this year – thanks be to God! With God’s help it is my hope that the congregation will continue to grow during 2012.
This coming Sunday there will be a Prayer Service in the Cathedral at 5 pm. Anna Torbrand will lead it.
Readings: Exodus 33:18-23, Eph 1: 7-14, John 2:1-11. Please join us!

Just want to let everybody know that you can celebrate the Holidays in the Cathedral. On Christmas Day there will be a Holy Communion Service in the Cathedral at 5 pm. I will try and squeeze in as many of the traditional Carols as I can.
On New Years day there will also be a Holy Communion Service at 5 pm in the Cathedral.
Bring family and friends and spread the word!

Instead of writing something this week I’ve decided to post this picture from last Sundays Holy Communion Service. It was the first time we used our new hymnals. Thanks Art!