The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-09-30
CATHOLIC CHURCHES
IN SWEDEN
Two in Stockholm and Four in the Pro-
vinces-SpIendid Cathedrals of the
Middle Ages No Longer catho-
Iic-Church of St. Euqenia
the First Erected Since
the Reformation.

Unfortunately the magnificent edi-
fees built by our ancestors in the Mid
die, Ages, the splendid Cathedrals of
Upsala, and Lund, and Linkoping, and
Skara, or the famous monastic Church
of the North which St. Bridget illus
trated are no longer Catholic, nor are
those others, which though not so re-
splendent are yet remarkable for their
beauty, and though the work OF Cath
olic hands, have for centuries excluded
Catholic worship, and will never be-
come Catholic again unless Sweden re-
turns to the Faith of the long ago. Our
present purpose, writes Baron G. Arm
felt in America" is to give some
idea of the few churches which the
scattered Catholics of Sweden now
have at their disposal.
First Church Erected After the Refor-
nation.
The oldest of them is the Church of
st. Eugenia, at Stockholm 1t is not
large, but it bears the impress OF a
certain lofty mysticism with it's marble
statute of the Blessed Virgin, the work
of Nicholas Bystrom, a Swedish sculp-
tor of no little merit, and it's retable,
which is copy of RafaePs Trans
fguration, by Mile. Sophie de Adler
SPARE, in which the figures are life
size. Above the altar of the Sacred
Heart is a death of ST. Joseph, and in
front is the baptistry in polished por-
phyry, which is the royal gift of Queen
Desiree, the consort of Charles-John
XIV, who was the founder of the pres
ent reigning dynasty of the Berna-
dottes Stations of the cross with fig
ures excellently cut and statues of the
apostles in inches higher upon the wall
complete the adornment of this modest
sanctuary. The liturgical music and
the exactness and precision of the
ecclesiastical ceremonies at ST. Eu-
genia's are such that even the Protest
ants of the town and the tourists who
happen to be in the neighborhOod,
make it point to be present at the
great solemnities.
It was built in 1887, and it is par
ticularly dear to Catholic Swedes be-
cause it was the first Catholic church
erected since the Reformation. Indeed
it was only in the private chapels OF
the various legations that Mass could
be celebrated. Conversions were rare,
for to become a Catholic meant exile
and confiscation. 1t was only in 1860
that religious toleration was proclaim
ed in Sweden, and even then it was of
the most restricted character.
In 1892 the Catholics of Stockholm
were made happy by another church
dedicated to Eric, the royal martyr,
who suffered death in 1160. 1t is situ-
ated in the southern part of the city,
near Gotgatan Street, with it's facade
turned towards a great public square.
It is approached by magnificent flight
of granite stairs, and on entering, one
finds himself in basilica whose walls
and roof are richly decorated in color
softened by the various hues of its
richly stained glass windows. 1t is the
only Catholic Church in Sweden that
has chime of bells.
Mgr. Bitter, Vicar Apostolic of
Sweden.
1t is at st. Eric's that the Vicar
Apostolic, Mgr. Bitter, resides. He is
prelate who has endeared himself to
everyone. He can be scarcely said,
however, to reside in Stockholm, for he
is always journeying from one end to
the other of Sweden in the interest of
his flock, and that means travelling in
cessantly over territory of 447,864
square kilometres. Except a mortuary
chapel at the cemetery, the two
churches we have mentioned are al
that the Catholics of Stockholm can
boast of.
In the provinces there are churches
at Malmo, Gothenburg, Norrk0ping and
Gefte. Malmo, in the south, is the
principal center of activity among the
Polish harvesters, who arrive in Swed
en- by thousands to work in the fields
when the crops are gathered. Every
Sunday they flock to the little church
of Malmo, in many cases giving up 6
good part of their wages to buy a rail
way ticket, and often not breaking
their fast till midday so as to receive
Holy Communion. Their great FRIEND
is the Count Bernard de Stolberg, de
scendent of the famous writer Count
Frederick de Stolberg, the celebrated
diplomat, whose conversion made such
stir in the Protestant world. Tht
present Count is priest. His usua
abiding place is at Norrk0ping, but he
makes long apostolic journeys through
the country in the interests of botl
Swedes and Poles, or indeed wherevel
the preaching of the Faith may call.