TUNTREET
THE STUDENT PRIESTS Ragne Kyllingstad Journalist
I met Ingrid and Sigurd outside of the Clock building. It’s Friday, the sun is as high as it can be in mid-February. The snot from your nose freezes and thaws whiles you breathe. Not one clerical collar is to be seen. Ingrid is wearing a long, black padded jacket and sunglasses, and is the University’s newest student priest. Sigurd has been a student priest at NMBU for many years already. He is wearing a pair of sensible Gore-tex shoes, skiing pants and a forest green padded jacket. I notice that both priests are wearing thin gloves compared to my enormous mittens, and I catch myself wondering if warm hands are something you get at the School of Theology, or if that’s something they’ve had all their lives. The sun is on our backs as we enter Nordskogen. 16
Edition 02 Volume 76
Margreta Brunborg Photographer
Sofie Palmstrøm Translator
Ingrid is the daughter of missionaries and was born in Cameroon, but most of her childhood was spent in a village outside of Ålesund. An important part of her upbringing was her religion. She tells that back in the day she thought that only those who went to church on Sundays were real Christians. Over the years her religion has become more nuanced, but for Ingrid, God has always belonged to the community. This becomes apparent in the way she has taken on the role as a priest. When asked about how her weekend was, she could tell about youth clubs and family meetings, church and confirmation meetings. All that, in these socially miserable times!
