Dear pilgrims in Pomerania.

I am currently attending a meeting of Nordic pilgrimage representatives in Bodø and Gildeskål in Norway.

Here in Gildeskål, a pilgrim center is being built on Europe's northernmost pilgrimage route, the Hålogalandsleia.

From the Trondenes peninsula north of Harstad (and north of the Arctic Circle), where the world's northernmost medieval stone church stands, the route is said to take you south to Trondheim and Nidaros Cathedral via 26 stations by water and land. Stops along the way include Vesterålen, the Lofoten Islands, Salten, and Helgeland.  

This pilgrimage route along the west coast (and medieval history) of Norway is set to open soon.

Pilgrim accommodations and dining options are being built along the pilgrimage route. The route will connect coastal sections and various churches, memorials, museums, and cultural monuments. And, of course, you can experience the magnificent natural surroundings. 

Here in Gildeskål (the name means “guild chalice” and refers to the local communion chalice), there is a church built of local marble in 1130 with a 17th-century rectory run by an extremely hospitable pastor with Italian culinary skills.

There is a lot of enthusiasm for discussing pilgrimages and pilgrim theology from a Nordic (and Lutheran) perspective. 

And once again, I notice how pilgrimages connect people across national borders, denominations, and cultures. 

Ellen Nemitz