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Bishop to Open Canonization Cause for Sigrid UndsetThe Catholic Bishop of Oslo, Fredrik Hansen, has begun preparations for a canonization cause for the Catholic writer Sigrid Undset. The announcement was made during the Mass for St. Sunniva on the island of Selja, where hundreds of Catholic pilgrims had gathered for the annual pilgrimage.
Bishop Fredrik Hansen has initiated preparations for a canonization cause for Nobel Prize laureate Sigrid Undset. “I believe that Sigrid Undset's life and work have much to offer both the Church in Norway and the universal Church,” says the Bishop.
She is far more than an author and Nobel Prize laureate. For us, she is a model of Christian faith, of a life lived in virtue, and of the pursuit of holiness," the Bishop said.
During the Mass for St. Sunniva, celebrated in the monastery ruins on the island of Selja on 8 July, Bishop Hansen announced that preparations for a canonization cause for Sigrid Undset have begun.
"She showed a constant and practical concern for the poor. She gave of herself in caring for her daughter, in her commitment to life and to the sanctity of life. Through her many books she has shaped countless believers, inspired them to live in Christ, and borne witness to our medieval saints," Bishop Fredrik said, explaining the reasons for the initiative.
The Basis for the Cause
After examining Undset's life and establishing clear signs of cultus and devotion, Bishop Hansen presented the matter to the Nordic Bishops' Conference and to experts on the life of Sigrid Undset.
"By the authority entrusted to me (Instruction Sanctorum Mater, Art. 21 §1), I have therefore now initiated the work so that the cause for beatification may formally begin sometime this autumn," Bishop Fredrik Hansen said in his homily.
A canonization cause is a thorough process and may take many years. Before a candidate can eventually be canonized, he or she must first be beatified. If all the required conditions are fulfilled and the process reaches its conclusion, the Pope may, during a solemn Mass in St Peter's Square in the Vatican, canonize the candidate and declare him or her a saint of the universal Catholic Church.
Bishop Hansen concluded by asking the faithful to pray for the work that now lies ahead for the Diocese.
"Like Saint Sunniva and her companions, Sigrid Undset too must be for us a model of life in Christ."
The announcement took place during the Mass for St. Sunniva in the ruins of the Benedictine monastery on Selja, founded around the year 1100. Selja was Norway's first episcopal see and is regarded as the cradle of Christianity in Norway.
Facts: Sigrid Undset
- Convert: Sigrid Undset (1882–1949) was received into the Catholic Church on 1 November 1924 at St Torfinn's Chapel in Hamar.
- Lay Dominican: In 1928 she was received into the Dominican Third Order (Lay Dominicans). She embraced Dominican spirituality while continuing her life and vocation as a writer.
- Catholic voice: As a Catholic, she became a prominent defender of the Catholic faith and the Christian heritage of the Middle Ages through her books, essays and lectures.
- Nobel laureate: In 1928 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her depictions of life in medieval Scandinavia.
- Resistance figure: During the Second World War she fled to the United States, where she worked actively for Norway's freedom and against Nazism.
Facts: The Canonization Process
- The process begins in the local diocese, where the candidate's life, writings and reputation for holiness are examined.
- Once the cause is formally opened, the candidate receives the title Servant of God.
- If the Pope recognizes that the candidate lived a life of heroic Christian virtue or died as a martyr, he or she is declared Venerable.
- Before a candidate can be beatified, one approved miracle is normally required. Martyrs may be beatified without the recognition of a miracle.
- Following the recognition of a further miracle, the Pope may canonize the candidate and declare him or her a saint of the universal Catholic Church.
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