She has been a deacon in the Swedish Church, and now she has decided to become a Catholic. I meet Kerstin Ekbladh at Our Savior's Church, where she will be received into the Catholic Church in a few weeks.
When I arrive at the church, he is outside chatting with a former colleague of his from the Swedish Church, who happened to be passing by at the time. He seems a bit surprised by Kerstin's decision to become a Catholic, but wishes her good luck.
Could you tell us something about yourself? Where you were born, what religion you were raised in, when you became a Lutheran deaconess, or if you are married or single.
-I was born in 1955 in Limhamn, Malmö, and I am an only child. My parents attended church once or twice a year, for example at Christmas and Easter, but they were not particularly religious. However, they were very supportive and made me feel safe. As a result, I did not go to church very often, although I was baptized and confirmed in the Swedish Church. Then, later, a fellow married to a priest in the Swedish Church invited me to sing in the church choir. I enjoyed it so much that I think I can say that I sang for myself through church, liturgy and faith.
I got a teaching degree, but then I worked for 28 years in something quite different, Elverket, national electricity company. But around the year 2000 changes were made in the company, and we were all laid off and had to look for new jobs. In my case, I finally started teaching at a Christian elementary school in Malmö.
One day, when I was talking to one of our priests, he suggested that I could work in the Swedish Church. I liked the idea and trained to become a församlingspedagog (parish educator). And a few years later, on September 4, 2005, I was ordained a deacon (when it happened, exactly 50 years had passed since my baptism).
I have never been married. In a sense, you could say I've been "married" to music and songs. And I have always had many friends, both at work and outside of work. I know a lot of Catholics, and one of my best friends is a very active Catholic in the parish. And whenever I accompanied her to Catholic services, I always felt very comfortable with the liturgy.
Most Swedes are Lutherans. The Catholic bishop of Stockholm, Cardinal Anders Arborelius, has pointed out in Word that the number of Catholics in Sweden is increasing, due to immigrants and conversions. What attracted you to Catholicism?
-Yes, I agree that more and more people are converting to the Catholic Church. A priest in the Swedish Church who has been very close to my family recently told me that all of his children, their spouses and grandchildren had become Catholic.
In my case, I think I can say that I have lived the spirit of Catholicism without realizing it. I have always felt very inspired by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
I started going to Bible study sessions led by Björn Håkonsson (a Catholic deacon) in the 1990s; at that time that meant traveling 80 kilometers from Malmö to Helsingborg, where the classes took place. Now the classes are held here in Malmö.
Malmö (Sweden)
