July 22 Memorials Held This Weekend

In remembrance of the terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utøya, Norway, Friday July 22, 2011, there's probably going to be a number of memorials happening throughout the United States and Canada this weekend. One that's happening close to where I live is a memorial service that's going to be held at Mindekirken, the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church in Minneapolis, on Sunday, July 22, 2012.

This Sunday's event marks the one year anniversary of the tragic 2011 attack in Norway that left 77 dead and more than 300 injured. It was the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II and an average of one in four Norwegians knew a victim affected by the attacks. This is an especially poignant memorial since many throughout the U.S. (especially within the Midwest) and Canada have friends and relatives in Norway.

In a statement from Rev. Kristin Sundt, Mindekirken's pastor, she said “Minnesota has nearly 900,000 citizens of Norwegian descent and it is fitting we honor those who perished or were injured last year. The presiding bishop of the Church of Norway, Rev. Helga Haugland Byfuglien said that the July 22, 2011 pain did not have the final word with Norwegians. It brought together the nation and its descendants from around the world in love, peace and understanding. We will continue this fellowship on July 22.”

If you're in the Minneapolis area and would like to join in the memorial, the service will begin at 11am on Sunday, July 22.

Now, after learning about this memorial service, I got to wondering about how many others were being held this weekend. Is there a remembrance or memorial happening in your community? If so, leave a comment below and let Sons of Norway know about it because this is a time to join together in our support of Norway and its citizens who are still healing after a tragic day.