Read about the experiences of two of the students who participated: a Spring 2023 graduate and a first-year student.
Marie is graduating from the programme this semester
Marie Claessen, from the Netherlands and France, is graduating from the programme this semester. Her MA thesis project is about how faith-based organisations offer refugee aid and assist refugees with their integration processes. She wrote about the trip:
"Hearing the story of the cathedral and sitting inside it was very special to me. It was built using Viking techniques, and was built by mostly volunteers from different backgrounds and ages. This therefore also included people with different religious backgrounds, working together to build the cathedral. I thought this was very touching and symbolic, as my perception of the project was that cooperation can build connections between people regardless of who they are. I also enjoyed building the bee cathedrals, as it was a fun opportunity to bond with my classmates whom I hadn’t gotten the chance to know well due to covid and online classes.
What I will definitely remember, however, is how the volunteers explained that once we had built the bee cathedrals, we had become volunteers of the Hope Cathedral and were therefore also a part of it. Something as simple as drilling a hole into a block of wood connected us to this bigger project, bonding us with the other volunteers who had participated.
Additionally, having focused on faith-based organisations and refugee aid for my Master’s Thesis, the trip tied very nicely to my studies. This was because they worked closely with refugees to create a low-pressure environment in which refugees could develop their Norwegian skills. By doing so, the project enabled refugees to build social ties, which is a crucial element of social integration. This was especially interesting to me because although the Hope Cathedral started off as a religious project, the interreligious cooperation and social setting meant that the project could serve as much more than just a Christian organisation reserved for Christian refugees. I also enjoyed it was a more unique example of a religious organisation helping refugees, because many organisations within literature are either religious institutions or religious NGOs that focus solely on refugee aid. In the case of the Hope Cathedral, this differed as the main aim was to build a cathedral with recycled materials through interreligious cooperation. The main focus was therefore not directly on refugees, which I think made it a more casual and comfortable setting to foster social integration.
In summary, the trip was very insightful for me. I would definitely recommend it because the Hope Cathedral represented many desirable ideals, such as cooperation, love, and helping the environment. Regardless of one’s interests, there is a message to be found in all elements of the Cathedral, and I think that there is much to be learned from this project."
First-year student Ramon
First-year student Ramon Valencia Arcilla from the Philippines wrote:
"I had a fantastic experience during the REDI trip to Hope Cathedral in Fredrikstad. The weather was great so it was the perfect opportunity to relax and unwind after exams. Our group was welcomed warmly by the Hope Team. We had fun while learning about building hope through interfaith cooperation on the environment and sustainable traditions. Interfaith cooperation is a common philosophy shared by the TF since we had courses that focused on dealing and understanding other faiths towards attaining community, unity and peace. The cathedral reminded me of Norwegian stave churches only made from recycled fish boxes taken out from the ocean. Highlights of the trip were sharing a delicious lunch, creating the wooden bee cathedrals, taking free boat rides and exploring through the old city while getting acquainted with my fellow students."