STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Land of the Danes to Rome Daniel Steiner Ebert, S.T.B. cand. ‘21 Diocese of København (Copenhagen)
The Diocese of Copenhagen is small in size and population, but is strong in the gift of faith. Daniel Steiner Ebert shared with us about himself, his country, and his experience studying at the Angelicum.
M
y name is Daniel Steiner Ebert. I am 31 years old, and am in my last year of studies for the bachelors in Theology. I have come to the Angelicum from my home country, the Kingdom of Denmark, where I was born and raised. At this moment I am the only Dane studying for the priesthood for the diocese of København (Copenhagen) which encompasses the entire country. We do have a few missionaries in priestly formation as well from Italy, Spain, Poland, and Croatia.
here in Rome and at the Angelicum will not be present at home, since Denmark is a Lutheran country.
What gives me hope to go back to what seems like an impossible mission, is Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
With the Blessed Sacrament, and through the Blessed Sacrament, I am sure Denmark will be reconverted, and come back to its first love, Jesus Christ within the Catholic Faith, which our kingdom served and loved until the sad Reformation in When I was sixteen, I had a very the 1500’s. powerful experience of Christ, and from that moment on I knew I had My experience at the Angelicum to give Him my entire life. At that has been excellent, and I do believe moment, I did not know it would that I will take much of what I have mean becoming a priest, which I learned in my time of studies back to only understood after a few years of Denmark, and use it for the mission discernment. Eventually I accepted and to bring many souls back to my vocation and so did the bishop, Christ. Even though the situation and so I was sent to seminary seems hopeless to many - very in 2015. Since we do not have a few Catholics, constant financial seminary of our own, the Danish challenges, few local vocations to seminarians (when there are some) the diocesan priesthood, and so on go to the English seminaries, mainly - I stand firm in my faith with Jesus the Venerable English college in Christ in my heart, a rosary in hand Rome, and to the Angelicum for and the Summa Theologiae in my their academic formation. mind. It’s not a bad combination, one that I can thank the Angelicum Being the only Danish seminarian for, and with which I look forward is not always easy. Unfortunately, to embracing the mission of the many Danes still hold on to a negative priesthood in the land of the Danes. view of the Catholic Church due to a biased Lutheran history. I know that God willing, Daniel will be ordained everything I experience and see to the diaconate this summer. ANGELICUM
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Photo by Bernadette Bertsch
