Queen Sonja of Norway was in the United States last week on an extended visit to the state of Minnesota.
The first part of the visit was dedicated to events related to Minnesota and Norway’s military and joint cultural cooperation. Her Majesty also attended a reception at the Honorary Consulate General of Norway in Minneapolis before attending “The Stranger” concert at the Ordway Centre for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.
The successful visit to the USA ended on 16 October in the Norwegian church in Minnesota – Mindekirken (Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church). Since the establishment of the Mindekirken in Minneapolis in 1922, services have been held in Norwegian by descendants of immigrants. The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church turns 100 years old this year, and although most churchgoers today are American and speak English, services are still held in Norwegian.
Upon arrival, Queen Sonja received a special greeting from a four-year-old local girl of a Norwegian family named Eline Gro Knatterud, who presented the Queen with a bouquet of red roses nearly as big as herself. Queen Sonja got down to eye level with the little girl and told her, in English, that she had an identical traditional red bunad dress at home before walking into the large stone church.
Representatives from the Norwegian church also participated. During the service, the priest said: “We speak American English every day, but we need the language of our hearts, Norwegian when we praise God.”
Her Majesty Queen Sonja said: “I have had some wonderful days in Minnesota, and ending my visit here at Mindekirken is truly special. The King and I have been here, as you know, several times before. Through generations, the church has represented a home for lots of people with Norwegian roots. As one of only two American churches that primarily uses the Norwegian language for its liturgy, Mindekirken stands out as an important Norwegian cultural centre in the USA.”
Norway’s monarch, King Harald V, lived in the United States for five years, then in exile. From 1940-45 together with his mother, Crown Princess Martha and his two sisters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid, the future monarch lived in America until it was safe to return to Norway.
