– The most important reason why we go to Rome is that over several years we have experienced that it is difficult to motivate the confirmands. So says Nils Jøran Riedl, parish priest in Gildeskål, south of Bodø. Together with 13 confirmation students and six adults, they have replaced this year’s confirmation camp with a five-day trip to the eternal city. ON TOUR: Parish priest Nils Jøran Riedl, deacon Anette Holand-Nilsen and tour guide Laila Didriksen, with the young people in the back. Photo: Privat There they have gone on pilgrimages, visited churches, heard the Pope speak and looked at church art. Riedl rejects that the “big city holiday” is about luring more people to confirm themselves as Christians. – I am more concerned that what they learn should be experienced as more relevant. The school is no longer an arena for learning about Christianity, and we must accept the consequences of that. Confirmation numbers are falling Every year, there are fewer people who confirm themselves as Christians nationally. In Northern Norway, there has also been a downward trend. Nord-Hålogaland and Sør-Hålogaland dioceses have together gone from 4,800 confirmed in 2005 to 3,400 in 2020, according to figures from Statistics Norway. Especially in the last seven years, the arrow has pointed downwards. But for now the numbers have been stable in Gildeskål municipality. Both the municipality, private sponsors and the Church’s Common Council have given money for the confirmands to travel to Rome. Photo: Nils Jøran Riedl – There are some who are not with us this year, and I know that there are a few of them who say that they regret it a little after they found out that we were going to Rome. But further south there are more people who choose civil confirmation or something else. – There is a crisis in Oslo. And I think that the tendency that we see in the big cities now will eventually reach the countryside, so it is important that we promote ourselves in a way that makes people feel that we are relevant. Confirmants visiting one of Rome’s many churches. Photo: Nils Jøran Riedl Satisfied graduates Celyn Aleson Lejano Gayta (13) says that she had a great time in Rome. She brags about the food, the ice cream, the temperature and the churches. Celyn Aleson Lejano Gayta before she went on her graduation trip to Rome, and tells what she is looking forward to. – But is it really that interesting for a 13-year-old to go to church? – Where I live, we also have a church, but it is not so exciting because there is not so much art, art, in it, whereas in Rome there are many different types of churches. So it was actually very exciting. – Did you learn anything? – I learned more about Christianity and how Jesus, Peter and Paul have fared in Rome. Co-confirmer Kaja Emilie Kvisberg Didriksen (14) was also delighted with the trip. – It exceeded all expectations. It was a lot of fun and we did a lot together. – What made the most impression? – That people were killed and such for being a Christian. “Free” trip to Rome They have received money from both the municipality, the Sør-Hålogaland diocese council, private local sponsors and the Church Common Council. It thus did not cost the confirmands anything more than the usual confirmation fee. In Rome, they have walked between 10 and 20 kilometers every day as part of the traditional pilgrimage route through Rome’s 7 main churches. The scheme links culture, art, architecture and Christian history together, according to Riedl. – When you do something that gives you an experience of something, we also get closer and get an explanation of what we actually do in the church. Got to see the Pope speak Deacon Anette Holand-Nilsen was a tour guide on the trip, and brags about the young people, and thanks the parents who came along and contributed. – We have faced challenges such as long queues and closed doors, but there has been a good mood throughout. – Will there be another Rome trip next year? – We hope to achieve that. The trip made a big impression on the confirmands. They get an education and an introduction to the history and beginnings of Christianity that we will not be able to give them with a normal lecture course. – It makes an impression on 14-year-olds and seeing mosaic art that is 1,700 years old, she adds. – How do you know that? – We have had an evaluation, and several people pointed out that it had been very special to experience, both things that are so old, and things that still have such great significance and symbolic value for us. She also highlights the Pope’s speech in the Vatican as a special experience. It shouldn’t be expensive to be confirmed – It is positive that congregations are trying different ways to carry out the confirmation period, but finances must not be an obstacle. This is what Jan Christian Kielland, director of church affairs in the Church of Norway, says. He believes that one should be careful about setting up activities that cost a lot of money. Jan Christian Kielland is department director for church studies and ecumenism. Photo: Press photo – Confirmation time should be open to everyone, and there should not be large costs associated with the arrangement for the church. Furthermore, Kielland emphasizes that the most important thing for the Church of Norway is to create as good a confirmation time as possible, and that everyone of confirmation age knows about the offer to the church.
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Confirmation camp in Rome – difficult to motivate confirmers – news Nordland
