New year – new workshop

In 2021 the Hope Cathedral will be formally inaugurated. The day we have chosen for the occasion is none other than 5th June, World Environment Day. The building itself will be completed in parallel with planning the event. Our team of loyal volunteers will be there to help us, as will our mentor, the traditional craftsman Steinar Moldal, who will join us on the run-up to formal opening. Over the last three years he has led several workshops in the construction of both the barge and the cathedral. In the period Monday 3rd to Friday 14th May he will lead an extended workshop to construct the cathedral doors and the colourful circular sustainability window that will decorate the section above the entrance. Are you curious? Would you like to participate? Please, send us an e-mail to anne@hopecathedral.no

Spring means beach cleaning

In between completing the cathedral this spring, we plan to have several beach cleaning sessions for volunteers. We would like to invite representatives from various religions to an interfaith beach spring cleaning and hope that many will be interested in taking part. We invite everyone to take along a bag or a sack when you go for a walk and to clean a ditch or a beach on your way to work or school.

National beach-cleaning week kicks off in September and is coordinated by Hold Norge Rent (Keep Norway Clean). It is an activity which is ideal for clubs, associations, congregations or just groups of friends that want to do their bit for the ocean. Sign up at Hold Norge Rent. 

Let's revive the ocean! 

During this year's celebration of World Environment Day, the UN and UNEP will strike a blow for #restorenature, meaning that we must restore the balance in nature. We must create order from the chaos we ourselves have contributed to. This applies to life both in the oceans and on land. It is about tackling both CO2 emissions and species extinction. The Hope Cathedral wants to make its contribution to this important work. Follow us at our formal opening and our celebration on 5th June. We want to be part of the slogan "Let´s revive our oceans". Read more about #GenerationRestoration and the celebration of World Environment Day on 5th June here. 

Rupinder Kaur is the new ambassador for the Cathedral of Hope 

Rupinder is a Sikh and part of the Interfaith Climate Network. She has visited the Hope Cathedral on several occasions, most recently on World Environment Day on June 5, 2020, when she spoke about the importance of nature and the environment for Sikhism. She said, among other things; “The Cathedral of Hope is about equality between people across ages, nationalities and faiths. As a Sikh, I believe in the same thing. Our sacred book ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ is summarized with the Number 1. The 1 that is found in everyone, in all people, in all animals, in all plants, in nature. The concept behind the Hope Cathedral is the same: The ocean and hope belong to us all!” We welcome Rupinder as our ambassador and look forward to working with her.

School workshop at the Hope Cathedral

We are ready for a new round of school workshops at the Hope Cathedral. Tuesday is our activity day – it is held outdoors and complies with corona restrictions.  Students learn more about plastic in the ocean, about sustainability goals and about the Hope Cathedral project. Everyone who participates can help make an insect hotel, or a bee cathedral, as we call it. We accept groups of up to 20 pupils accompanied by a minimum of two adults. The program takes about three hours and takes place outdoors all year round. If you are interested in participating, contact anne@hopecathedral.no and make an appointment. The workshops are free for schools. The program is suitable for students from 4th grade and upwards. 

Benedictory tour with the Hope Cathedral 

This year we aim to embark on a modest benedictory tour to our neighboring municipalities, Hvaler and Sarpsborg. Our dream is to dock at the quay in Sannesund and visit Hvaler's skerries. Maybe we can manage a couple of weddings during the visit? Or how about a concert or a morning meditation in the cathedral? If you have any ideas, or know someone who would like to participate in this, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Photo: One of many yoga classes on board the Hope Cathedral in 2020. The aim is to repeat that success this year. 

Confirmation teaching 

For those of you who are planning confirmation teaching this spring, have you thought about stopping by at the Hope Cathedral? We can tailor arrangements to suit you, and are happy to tell you about the project and how we can all contribute to #sammenmotplastihavet and take care of biological diversity. Get in touch for an informal chat about how we can assist. Anne 95912552 anne@hopecathedral.no 

Green house of worship

UNEP, the UN's environmental program, has developed a set of guidelines for how to become more environmentally friendly as a church, congregation, temple, synagogue or mosque. Called the Green House of Worship, it is a set of criteria that helps the various enterprises to systematize efforts towards more environmentally friendly operation, but also to inspire and engage their guests and users to more environmentally friendly practices. A total of 10,000 places of worship worldwid are included in the scheme. As a multi-faith place devoted to hope and the ocean, the Hope Cathedral wants to use these guidelines in its work for sustainability as we move into an establishment phase. 

Inauguration on the 5th of June

The inauguration of the Hope Cathedral Will find place on the 5th of June at 14:00. The arrangement will be streamed by the Church of Norway, making it possible for you to join us, and take part in the project`s important milestone, even if you are miles away. Please, hold the date.

The Hope Cathedral is an inter-faith and sustainable art project based in Fredrikstad. We are building a 120 m2 barge of wood which will support the Hope Cathedral. The framework is inspired by stave churches, while the 300 m2 roof will be built as an innovative project using plastic from the ocean. The cathedral will be a symbol of hope built through cooperation. The project is under the leadership of Borg Diocese. Both the process and the finished cathedral is open to all. 

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Contact: Anne Skauen anne@hopecathedral.no +4795912552 www.håpetskatedral.no