FOOTBALL, AND SHEEP, RHUBARB, AND SHEEP, MILK, AND SHEEP, POTATOES, AND SHEEP:
IT CAN ONLY BE THE FAROE ISLANDS !
A visit by Wolf Schmidt SJ
Imagine a huge volcano erupting in the middle of the North Atlantic, long ago and leaving behind something which resembles huge, grey elephant-backs which then cover themselves with ordinary, green grass.
Next the Vikings turn up and erase a few Irish hermits who had been living and praying here. Today, miles and miles of roads wind along these mountains, sometimes pass through long tunnels or connect by bridges, most of the Faroese islands. No place is further than 5kms. from the sea. It is the sea which yields its riches to the Faroese people: mostly fish of all kinds. Recently, one out of three drillings in the sea have shown promise of oil. The 50,000 islanders live, also, on ‘home-grown’ produce: rhubarb and potatoes. Sheep and a few cows make good use of the grassy mountains.
The climate is, as the Faroese people say with a twinkle in their eyes, ‘four seasons in one’: all at the same time it may drizzle, the sun shines and a rainbow appears, whilst the wind is blowing fiercely. Or, as happened to me at the end of October, some hail with the sunshine on my face! In each bay on the island you are greeted by a small village consisting of a couple of dozen colourfully painted houses (wood or stone, ‘clothed’ in tin sheeting), the village church, a school, normally a single shop and a memorial to those fishermen who have perished at sea. Both people and animals look forlorn in this ancient, somewhat archaic, but beautiful, landscape.
The Faroese language is related to the Norwegian, and is spoken and written with a lot of pride - making it clear that Danish belongs to Denmark and not to the Faroe Islands. The islands are an independent region within the Danish State with Torshavn as the capital, taking its name from the old Germanic god Thor (Thursday!), indicated that it is Thor’s port. It is probably the smallest capital city in the world. Puffins, and more than 300 different kinds of birds, breed on Nolsoy and on some of the other islands surrounding it.
In the year 999 the parliament decided to adopt Christianity as the state religion. Today, 80% of the population is Lutheran, 10% Plymouth Brethren, and 10% belong to a variety of smaller churches including Catholic. About 115 islanders are registered as Catholic and are looked after by a permanent deacon, being visited, from time to time, by a priest, often from Denmark. There are also eight Franciscan Missionaries of Charity who work in a variety of apostolates: a kindergarten, visiting the housebound, caring for the beautiful church, teaching catechism or teaching in the school. The sisters hail from such diverse countries as Belgium, Malta, Ireland and Korea - the international church in practice.
On any Sunday one can count about fourteen different nationalities at Mass. The service is celebrated in a mixture of Faroese and English - which almost all will understand. With such a small congregation, each and everyone is important and needs to be greeted; afterwards they all want to have a word with you.
Somehow it seems that people living in this overwhelmingly beautiful place are naturally religious; nature is still to them the ‘open book of the creator’.
Although the Atlantic Ocean attempts to wash away these beautiful, volcanic islands, it will take a few millennia before this will happen. Blessed Faroe Islands!
Wolf Schmidt SJ
(visiting priest October 2003)
Imagine a huge volcano erupting in the middle of the North Atlantic, long ago and leaving behind something which resembles huge, grey elephant-backs which then cover themselves with ordinary, green grass.
Next the Vikings turn up and erase a few Irish hermits who had been living and praying here. Today, miles and miles of roads wind along these mountains, sometimes pass through long tunnels or connect by bridges, most of the Faroese islands. No place is further than 5kms. from the sea. It is the sea which yields its riches to the Faroese people: mostly fish of all kinds. Recently, one out of three drillings in the sea have shown promise of oil. The 50,000 islanders live, also, on ‘home-grown’ produce: rhubarb and potatoes. Sheep and a few cows make good use of the grassy mountains.
The climate is, as the Faroese people say with a twinkle in their eyes, ‘four seasons in one’: all at the same time it may drizzle, the sun shines and a rainbow appears, whilst the wind is blowing fiercely. Or, as happened to me at the end of October, some hail with the sunshine on my face! In each bay on the island you are greeted by a small village consisting of a couple of dozen colourfully painted houses (wood or stone, ‘clothed’ in tin sheeting), the village church, a school, normally a single shop and a memorial to those fishermen who have perished at sea. Both people and animals look forlorn in this ancient, somewhat archaic, but beautiful, landscape.
The Faroese language is related to the Norwegian, and is spoken and written with a lot of pride - making it clear that Danish belongs to Denmark and not to the Faroe Islands. The islands are an independent region within the Danish State with Torshavn as the capital, taking its name from the old Germanic god Thor (Thursday!), indicated that it is Thor’s port. It is probably the smallest capital city in the world. Puffins, and more than 300 different kinds of birds, breed on Nolsoy and on some of the other islands surrounding it.
In the year 999 the parliament decided to adopt Christianity as the state religion. Today, 80% of the population is Lutheran, 10% Plymouth Brethren, and 10% belong to a variety of smaller churches including Catholic. About 115 islanders are registered as Catholic and are looked after by a permanent deacon, being visited, from time to time, by a priest, often from Denmark. There are also eight Franciscan Missionaries of Charity who work in a variety of apostolates: a kindergarten, visiting the housebound, caring for the beautiful church, teaching catechism or teaching in the school. The sisters hail from such diverse countries as Belgium, Malta, Ireland and Korea - the international church in practice.
On any Sunday one can count about fourteen different nationalities at Mass. The service is celebrated in a mixture of Faroese and English - which almost all will understand. With such a small congregation, each and everyone is important and needs to be greeted; afterwards they all want to have a word with you.
Somehow it seems that people living in this overwhelmingly beautiful place are naturally religious; nature is still to them the ‘open book of the creator’.
Although the Atlantic Ocean attempts to wash away these beautiful, volcanic islands, it will take a few millennia before this will happen. Blessed Faroe Islands!
Wolf Schmidt SJ
(visiting priest October 2003)