Worried, lonely, curious or seeking?
You can always contact the Catholic diocese of Oslo’s new web priest service: nettprest@katolsk.no
GET IN TOUCH: Due to the corona epidemic, the diocese cannot celebrate public masses, and many people are staying at home. Given this situation, it might be nice to be able to email a priest with one’s questions or problems, and to share one’s thoughts, says p. Oddvar Moi.
The corona-epidemic has quickly changed the lives of many of us. The situation may feel dramatic. Does this make you feel worried, do you feel alone, or are you reflecting on questions about faith and your relationship with God? You are welcome to contact the diocese’s new web-priest service: nettprest@katolsk.no
Text and photo: Petter T. Stocke-Nicolaisen
Translation: Vidar A. Eide
You may contact the priest service using nettprest@katolsk.no, and one of the Church’s many accomplished and helpful pastors will respond. They can help you solve a problem, answer a question, give you a deeper explanation of the catholic faith and teachings etc. Their efforts depend on your needs. The special church service is being launched now and will continue until further notice.
– The Catholic diocese of Oslo is now launching a web-priest service, p. Oddvar. Why is that?
– Personally, I think we should have done this years ago. The Norwegian Church Abroad or The Norwegian Seamen’s Church established a ministry like this in 1999, and now have a very well-developed online ministry. The internet has grown rapidly over the last 25 years, and most people are now communicating online on a daily basis, so it is important that the Church also facilitates contact via email, chat and so on.
Recent events in Norway and the rest of the world have resulted in the shutdown of many common means of communicating, which is why an online priest service seems particularly important at this time.
– What about privacy and web priests? Is confidentiality comparable to confession?
– The rules governing the privacy of these inquiries are the same as in hospitals, schools, contact with parish offices, and so on. However, this cannot be compared to the confidentiality of confession, where the priest may never (under any circumstance or to anyone), divulge any information.
EXPERIENCE: P. Oddvar has been a priest for 20 years and answered many
inquiries from believers per. email. He believes there is a great need
for an online prist service now, since the corona epidemic is making many people stay inside.
– Are you the only web priest, or will others collaborate with you?
– There will be more priests who can answer questions in Norwegian and English, and we are planning to minister to people in Polish as well. Ultimately, the demand for our services will determine how many pastors will be involved.
– For many years you have already served as a web priest, since you have responded to many of the inquiries that come in to our Information service. Can you give any examples of the kinds of questions believers ask, and how you respond?
– In all my 20 years of service as a Catholic priest, I have received many questions by email (lots of priests probably have), and for the last 2 – 3 years, I have also answered a few on behalf of the Information service of the diocese. The questions vary greatly. Some are from believers who want to know what the Church really teaches; others are from school students who need help with their assignments. Some people have personal questions, while others want to voice their objections against elements of Catholic teaching, etc.
– We are living in challenging times. Many feel anxious and miss being able to attend mass. Some experience loneliness due to living in isolation. Do you think this situation may create a special need to be able to talk to a priest through the internet?
– I think there may be more people with needs now, in part because people go out less than they normally do, and so naturally they meet fewer people they can converse and consult with. Priests are also less accessible now, since public masses are not celebrated.
– We are no longer celebrating public masse due to Covid-19, and many are concerned. What would you say to them?
– It is very sad that we, for a time, cannot gather to celebrate public masses, but we need not be afraid. God is with us and hears our prayers, the priests celebrate mass (in private) and offer up the sacred sacrifice of the Mass for both the living and the dead, and they pray for everyone (feel free to submit Mass intentions!). An old tradition called spiritual communion is now coming to light again. It concerns attending the Mass spiritually, even though you cannot physically receive communion. This can provide a lot of help and comfort.
– You mention spiritual communion. Perhaps you can suggest a prayer that is suitable for spiritual communion?
– Here I will refer to a page on katolsk.no which describes spiritual communion and mentions several prayers that may be used: What is spiritual communion? / Hva er åndelig kommunion?
About the web priest ministry:
- Contact one of Oslo Catholic Diocese’s web priests at nettprest@katolsk.no
- You only meet ordained priests in the Catholic Church.
- Everyone is welcome to contact the web priest.
- They respond to all inquiries: You may share your thoughts, ask questions, and ask for help.
- You can always send an email, using nettprest@katolsk.no The priests will respond as soon as they can.