Danish Sisterhood News August 2019

News

Danish

Serving the Danish Sisterhood of America since 1947

Sisterhood

August 2019

In this Issue: Newest Lodge Updates Danish Sisterhood Convention News History of Ribe Cathedral

President’s Corner

News

Danish Sisterhood

www.danishsisterhood.com

Honorary Member Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Volume 72, Number 8

Published by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America, (Dansk Søster Samfund) as its Official Publication.

DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS (USPS 148-200) is published monthly by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America. Office of publication at 1555 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463. Periodicals Postage Paid at Rochester, MN.

Sindy Mikkelsen, National President Oh my, the time is ticking away and the pressure is mounting. As I’m writing this, we are less than 2 months away from National Convention, and yet there is still so much to do. This is my second time being involved with planning a National Convention, and you’d think it would get easier the second time around. All I can say is that it’s truly a team effort, and I couldn’t ask for a better team. We really hope that one of the lodges will have their Delegate step up and offer to host the next National Convention in 2023.

Think about it, you too can be having all this fun :-)

I’m really excited about some of the events that are planned, such as the trip to the Danish American Museum in Elk Horn. They are busy making plans for us, including what is expected to be a VERY nice dinner. The group is so large, we will be splitting into two groups with one going to the museum and the other to the Danish Mill (shopping), then switch, and follow all that up with our entire group having dinner together. The Museum folks will share with us the progress that has been made with management of our history, and as you may have read last month, they were awarded the grant that will fund preservation work with a full-time staff member for 2 years!

There is still work to do with getting more financial support to meet the matching funds requirement, but to know it will finally happen is super exciting. What a great way to kick off this convention!

We have some fun entertainment for our Friday and Saturday evenings. The Bath Tub Dogs are sure to get us tapping our toes with their all male (Ohio State) acapella singing. And many of you are familiar with the music of Mads Tollling, two time Grammy winning jazz violinist. All of this was made possible due to a very generous donation of one of our members,

There will be a few surprises for everyone that attends convention, so I won’t spoil it by writing about it here. If you didn’t get the message before, you don’t need to be a delegate to attend convention (you just can’t vote), and you’re welcome to bring non-members as well.

We want this to be a fantastic time for everyone.

See you all soon!

Sisterly greetings.

Sindy Mikkelsen National President.

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DANISH SISTERHOOD NEWS, 1555 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 Editor: Lauren C. Nielsen (507) 206-9099

Email: editor@danishsisterhood.com

Articles for publication in the Danish Sisterhood News must arrive to the Editor no later than the 1st day of each month previous to publication.

Subscription: Members $12 (US) Non-Members $20 (US) Officers of the Supreme Lodge National President: Sindy Mikkelsen, Lodge #126 2938 Sweet Grass Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 (707) 755-0260 president@danishsisterhood.com National Vice President & Website: Julie Morrison #126 2368 Hood Ct, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 (707) 360-8377 vicepresident@danishsisterhood.com National Secretary: Glenda Madrid, Lodge #177 1557 Oak St. Solvang, CA 93463 (805) 448-7631 secretary@danishsisterhood.com glenda_madrid@hotmail.com National Treasurer: Carol Faruolo, Lodge #12 19 Fenway Street North, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 878-4924 Fax: (203) 8784924 treasurer@danishsisterhood.com dsstreasurer@gmail.com National Trustee & Butikken Chairman: Linda Holz #102 4400 EP True Pkwy Unit 47, West Des Moines, IA 50265-5615 (515) 225-0951 trustee1@danishsisterhood.com National Trustee & Scholarship Chairman: Christina Sallee #81 16116 SW Deline Ct, Beaverton, OR 97007-3425 (503) 848-0837 trustee2@danishsisterhood.com National Trustee, Membership Chairman & Tivoli Lodge Liaison: Karin S. Wasler #68 814 S Sherbourne Dr #7, Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 903-8837 trustee3@danishsisterhood.com National Past President: Lizette Burtis, Lodge #24 1462 Trombetta Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 (707) 545-6023 lburtis@sbcglobal.net

National Historian: Amy Larsen 2611 E 221 St Place, Carson, CA 90810 (714) 488-9515 historian@danishsisterhood.com

Copyright 1946-2018 by the Supreme Lodge of the Danish Sisterhood of America, All Rights Reserved.

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Velkommen

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor

In this Issue President’s Corner.............................................p 2 Editor’s Welcome..............................................p 3 Lodge Updates...............................................p 4-6 History of Ribe Cathedral ...........................p 7-11 Butikken.....................................................p 12-13 National Convention Updates........................p 14

Dear Sisters, Summer is starting to draw to a close, but not to worry--there’s still plenty of nice weather to come before the first–dare I say it?–snowfall.

I must admit that autumn’s approach has quite excited. While I enjoy the summer months, there’s just somthing about the fall that gets me every time. It could be the leaves changing, creating elaborately colored landscapes. It could be the crisp air, allowing me to grab a cup of tea and read in a chair with a blanket. It could be the nostalgia of past events that occurred in the fall.

Now that I’m thinking about it, the last time I visited Denmark was in the fall. It was mid-October and, while it rained a bit, it was entirely lovely. Being the off-season, there were fewer tourists around so any sites I visited were mostly empty. I also had a wonderful time visiting my cousins. On that trip, while it was only a couple days long, I learned and saw so much.

I connected more with my cousins and their families, I leared recipes like traditional aeblekage and tarteletter, I went to a Danish house warming party and the Danish Graceland Mansion, a Danish cheese cave and a Danish rainforest–who would’ve ever guessed I’d experience these things!

I’m very fond of these memories and feel lucky to experience them. And I’m therefore, very fond of this time of year. I hope each of you have some lovely fall memories to reminisce about. As always, send over any news, stories, photos, etc! I’d love to see them!

Until next time...

Youth Birthdays Happy August Birthday to: Names Dane Miller Brierly Wand Dane O’Connor

Lodge 126 21 300

Age 10 18 12

Happy belated birthday to Clara Dupont, age 2 in June. Clara is a member of Lodge #188.

On the Cover Title: Dining with “The King” Location: Randers, Denmark Photo taken by Lauren C. Nielsen Located in Randers, Denmark is a peculiar building.

Denmark’s very own Graceland...but bigger! Yes, there is a replica of Elvis Presley’s mansion, however it is twice the size of The King’s original Memphis home. Inside the Danish Graceland is an Elvis-themed American-style restaurant. The museum was opened by Henrik Knudsen on April 14, 2011.

Submit Your Cover Photo!

Do you have a photo that you’d like to see on the cover of the Danish Sisterhood News? Send in your submissions and yours could be featured next!

Photographs must be high resolution and should be accompanied by a short description of the photo’s content.

Photos from Danish events, Sisterhood meetings, travels around Denmark, Danish culture and more are all great topics. Send photos to: editor@danishsisterhood.com

Lauren C. Nielsen, Editor 3

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

August Sisterhood Meeting

Danish Children Growing Up American

Our Aug. 14, 2019, meeting of Lodge #100 took place at Hope Lutheran Church with seven in attendance.

A delicious chicken dinner was served by co-hostesses, Dawn Grabitz, and Donna Meddaugh.

Janice Bradley returned Grace by saying it in Danish for us.

Because our president is in the hospital and the vice-president out of town, we asked Joyce Houck to chair our meeting. Minutes and reports were accepted as read. Correspondence was gone over, mostly concerning the National Convention in October in Nebraska. Carol Schlaud has offered to be the delegate and Kris Wiegert and Joyce Houck are also planning to attend.

Motions were passed to donate $50 to the “Back to School” DHS project, $50 to the Sanilac Rescue Mission, $50 to Eva’s Place and $50 to The Museum of Danish America.

Kris Wiegert requested an application for her granddaughter.

Meeting closed by all reciting the Lord’s Prayer together before departing for our homes.

The exhibit “Danish Children Growing Up American” opens September 24, 2019, on the first floor of Criss Library on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha.

The exhibit, “Danish Children Growing Up American,” features dozens of photographs from the Danish American Archive and Library (DAAL) along with artifacts from the Washington County Historical Museum’s collection. The exhibit runs from September 24 through November 1, 2019.

The exhibit allows visitors to walk into the world of Danish immigrant children at the turn of the 20th century as presented on twenty 8-foot tall panels. The exhibit shows immigration both to and from Denmark, children at play, the clothes and costumes children wore, life on the farm, religious life, and education.

Loris Coltson, Secretary

In Memoriam NAME Ruth Carlson Jarvis Sigrid Hudson

Cert # Lodge # Location Birth Date Birth Place 90285 300 Tivoli Lodge 5.25.17 Cleveland, OH 22784 40 Evergreen Lodge 10.23.23 Denmark

Initiated 3.13.10 4.9.69

Died Benefit 3.5.19 5.4.19 125.

Membership Expansion

Welcome New Members!

LODGE 24 24 24 153 153 81 184 300 24 177 68 68

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

NEW MEMBER Inge Coble Oliver Smith Pernille Sporon Boving Lilla Bishop Gwendolyn Bishop Ann Griffith Cameron A. R. Curtis Carolyn Jarmin Anne Marie A.E. Maris Linda Crummer Vibeke Hansen Cristina Torres-Drarro 4

SPONSOR Lizette Burtis Martha Smith Lizette Burtis Jackie Smith Jackie Smith Jan Baer Jonna Easterby Carol Faruolo Lizette Burtis Else Lassiter Vibeke Hansen Cristina Torres-Drarro

News from Lodge #185 Cleveland, OH At our March meeting we had 2 Danish AFS students show photos and tell about their life in Denmark and compare it to their experiences here and in US schools.

In April, Danske Damer Lodge #185 enjoyed our Spring Luncheon which is always a favorite event. It is held at Marilyn Brandt’s beautiful home, where an abundance of Danish figurines, plates and family heirlooms abound. Unfortunately it was our last one to be

held at her home since she will be moving this summer. In appreciation, we presented her with flowers and a photo album of pictures from all the many years she has so graciously hosted this event.

Two members, Laurel Covell and Minna Mortensen, attended the MOO convention in Greenville, Michigan in May. It is always nice to meet our Sisters to the North and to experience Greenville with its long Danish history, some of which is preserved in their Danish meeting hall.

Our annual summer picnic was held in June at the home of Minna Mortensen. We had a nice turnout and enjoyed chicken and Danish style hotdogs with all the toppings. We then had a mini St Hans bonfire with a mini witch and attempted to sing the traditional St Hans song as she flew off to Bloksbjerg.

DSS Angel Member Status

Sunshine Lodge #181 to host 2020 EGC Convention

NAME LODGE Viola Wilson 166 Joann Scott 168 Dorothy Petersen 126 Karin Plagens 75 Sandra Nelson 188 Carole Hodges 22 Andrea Sue Welling Leih 15

Sunshine Lodge #181 in Holiday, Florida will be hosting the EGC convention on May 1-3, 2020.

We are very excited and hope you will join us. Please bring a handmade item for the EGC booth and if you’d like, join us in wearing Danish costumes.

We are making plans for holding the convention at a lovely Hampton Inn and Suites. So please bring your bathing suites and come ready to have lots of fun in the sun!

We will provide more information as we get closer to May! 5

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

News from Lodge #3 This was the group from Lodge #3 Danish Sisterhood of America that met for our June lunch and meeting at Paulette Fisher’s home. We welcomed Alicia Stover who moved to our area from Denver, Colorado, Lodge #21 and it was great getting to meet Alicia and we hope to see her often.

At our July meeting in Clinton, Iowa, many members brought items that had belonged to their ancestors in Denmark and it was a very

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interesting assortment of items that helped tell the stories of the families, from a blue vase to a map of an old castle that later became a school, to coins and stamps, to a book written about the family business, to the history of a family clock that may have come from a Bornholm shipwreck, to a wooden pitcher and engraved small silver dish and a priceless antique iron, engraved with dates and names. It was a great way to learn more about our Danish connections.

Delaney Fitzgerald is the daughter of Lodge #3 member Kathleen Fitzgerald and granddaughter of Paulette Fisher, Secretary of Lodge #3. Delaney was the fortunate recipient of the Heartland Danish Sisterhood of America Skovsoen Campership and the National DS camp scholarship. Delaney attended the Concordia Language Village Skovsoen camp in late June and will share her experience of a week-long Danish emersion at the camp in Bemidji, MN, with Lodge #3 at our August meeting.

Several members of Lodge #3 will be attending the National Convention in Omaha, and we look forward to meeting so many of you in October.

Paulette Fisher, Secretary Lodge #3

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT DENMARK’S CAMP ADVENTURE 1. Camp Adventure is Denmark’s largest adventure park. It features Northern Europe’s longest zip line and offers 10 treetop adventure courses. It also has an indoor climbing wall.

2. Camp Adventure’s new Observation Tower (pictured right, photo from VisitDenmark.com) is 147 feet high and opened in March 2019. It has spectacular views of the forest and surrounding areas.

3. Camp Adventure was founded in 2013. The area includes approximately 30 hectares of land. It is located about an hour south of Copenhagen.

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

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Ribe Cathedral The first time I visited Ribe it was 1960 and I was 13 years old. Cathedrals were not especially interesting to me at the time, and I knew nothing of the history of Ribe Cathedral. The last time I visited Ribe it was 2016 and I was on a trip to Denmark with my husband Paul, son Karsten and his wife Ana. I had learned a lot about Denmark in those 56 years and visiting the church was an important part of the trip.

We were lucky enough to get a room across the street from the cathedral in Den Gammle Arrest, the site of the old town jail. This was the view from the window across from our “cell”

Many of you reading this article may have been to Ribe and toured the Cathedral. For those of you who have not been there, perhaps this article will inspire you to put it on your tour the next time you visit our “homeland.”

Strangely enough, this story of Ribe Cathedral begins with an article from News Network Archaeology dated September 24, 2018. An archaeological dig has been taking place in Ribe for the past several years. Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and conducted by the Arhus University and the Southwest Jutland Museums, this dig has led to what Arhus University Professor Snøren Sindbæk calls an “explosion of finds”. The most recent finds discussed in the article are three leaden pendants from the very early 800’s bearing Christian crosses.

Sindbæk is quoted, ”This is new knowledge of early Christianity in Denmark. We are used to crediting Harald Bluetooth with christening the

Danes in around the year 960. But this shows that people in Ribe wore Christian amulets more than 150 years before this actually happened.”

It appears the Vikings were already letting go of their Norse gods much earlier.

Ribe was an early Viking city. From the Wadden Sea boats were able to come up the Ribe River and dock in the city. Norwegians, Swedes, Germans Frisians, English and other cultures brought goods here from all parts of northwestern Europe. Vikings set sail from this city to travel much of the world and bring back goods for which they had traded. Indeed, they must have also brought back Christianity.

Prior to this find it was thought that Ansgar, who came to Ribe originally in the early 820’s, brought the first Christian teaching to the city.

Indeed, with the recent finding of the pendants and a smithy with molds to make these pendants, he must actually have been met by at least some people already practicing Christian7

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

ity.

The Ribe Cathedral, also known as our Lady Maria Cathedral (Vor Frue Maria Domkirke), probably first began on or close to the land it now occupies when Ansgar constructed the first church there.

Ansgar was born to a noble Frankish family. Upon the death of his mother he was raised in an abbey and educated at a Benedictine Monastery. As a little boy it is said he had a vision that his mother was with Jesus and Mary.

Throughout his life, according to his biographer, he had visions which directed him in his actions.

He is known as the “Apostle of the North.” It was on his second missionary journey to Scandinavia sometime after 850 that he directed the building of the church,.

Ansgar in 826 had begun short-term missionary work in Schleswig under the approval of Danish King Harald Klak. After Harald’s death in 827 and the death of Ansgar’s assistant, he returned to Germany. In 832 he initiated a mission to all Scandinavian people to Christianity.

He went to Rome where Pope Gregory IV made him archbishop and papal legate to the Scandinavians and Slavs. He returned to Scandinavia in 853-54 and then returned to Bremen where he died in 865.

Whether it was Ansgar in person who began to build the church or if it was under his direction as the Archbishop of Scandinavia is unclear. It is Ansgar who is given credit for this first church in Ribe.

Sometime after 888 the Christian mission to the Danes collapsed. The church was burned down and an attempt was made to eradicate any memory of the Christian religion. In 948 Loefdag was made the first Bishop of Ribe and the diocese was established under supervision of the Archbishop of Hamburg. But Loefdag was murdered that same year. Eventually his remains ended up in Ribe Cathedral. And so it is with Harald Bluetooth and the stories on the Jelling stones that it is most often said Christianity came to Denmark in 960.

Bishop Thur began construction of the first stone cathedral in Ribe in 1110. It was completed in 1134. The pamphlet sold in the Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

cathedral store states, “The ancient episcopal chronicle written by a canon in the 13th century maintains that Bishop Thur began to build a church in Ribe of blocks of stone.”

The plans for the current cathedral were probably drawn up around 1150 under Bishop Elias. Tufa stone from a site south of Cologne were shipped down the Rhine, along the North Sea coast and up to Ribe. Jutland granite was used for the heavy cornerstones. The church was built in the Romanesque architectural style.

Romanesque architecture was developed in Italy and according to Webster’s dictionary was used between the Roman and the Gothic periods. It is characterized by the use of round arches and vaults, piers for columns and profuse ornamentation. (Piers are larger than columns and usually made of stone, brick or concrete.

They act as vertical supports but are not used for horizontal support.)

King Erik II of Denmark (sometimes known as “Bloody Erik” for executing his brother Harold and 10 or 11 of his 12 sons in competition for the throne) is buried in the cathedral.

In 1137 Erik himself was murdered. Having a king buried there, even a murderous one, enhanced the status of the cathedral.

In 1176 there was a terrible fire in Ribe that destroyed much of the town. The cathedral, while damaged, survived which has made this “domkirkke” Denmarks best preserved Romanesque building. The church was repaired and new construction added using red brick. Double aisles were added on each side of the nave.

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The building program combined expanding the church and finishing off the interior.

Late in the 12th century the south portal called the “Cat’s Head Door” was added.

A semi-circular decoration appears over the door depicting Christ being removed from the cross with Mary holding his hand. Some say it is called the Cat’s Head Door because two outer columns of the door rest on the backs of lions in the process of tearing someone to pieces, but more probably it got its name from the bronzecast lion’s head doorknocker.

A triangular relief dating from the early 13th century was placed further above the door.

This scene depicts Christ and Mary sitting in state surrounded by angels. Below and in front of them is the Danish royal family, thought to be King Valdemar and his second wife Queen Bengerd. The head under Valdemar is thought to be Queen Dagmar, his first wife. Identities of these figures is a matter of some dispute.

In 1259 King Christopher I of Denmark was buried in Ribe Cathedral. King Christopher had carried on a state vs church feud with Jacob Erlandsen, Archbishop of Lund. It appeared King Christopher had won the feud when Erlandsen fled the country, but on May 2, 1259 King Christopher died after drinking poisoned communal wine. Again despite the circumstances, the burial of a second King in the church raised the status of the cathedral.

Tragedy struck the cathedral when on Christmas day of 1283 the northwest tower collapsed into the church and streets around the church A number of people were killed and parts of the church were destroyed. Rather than rebuild the old tower, the Commoner’s Tower was erected, taller than the original tower and topped with a narrow spire. The tower appears on the Ribe coat of arms.

In 1402 part of the cathedral burned again and again red brick was used to restore and expand the cathedral.

The reputation of the church was further raised when in 1443 Prince Christopher of Bavaria was named King of Denmark (Christopher III) and crowned at Ribe cathedral.

Ivar Munk was Ribe’s last Catholic bishop.

He died just prior to the Reformation which occurred in 1536. His gravestone can still be seen in the church. He is depicted wearing rings on all his fingers. He was a very wealthy man and according to one source spent most of his time as bishop keeping track of his and the church’s wealth. Apparently it kept him so busy he did not hold a service until he had been in office 13 years.

Following the protestant Reformation the Catholic bishop was deposed and the property of the church was seized by the king. Ribe had 12 churches by that time and 4 convents, all of which were significant sources of money for the town. It took a while for the Catholic church to disappear. Eventually all the figures of saints and catholic altars wear gone and church services, now lasting as much as 3-5 hours, were conducted in Danish. By 1560 the last of the Roman Catholic items were removed and a the 9

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

medieval paintings in the church were covered over with plaster. Without the money from the church of Rome, the cathedral began to deteriorate due to vandalism and neglect.

In 1580 another fire completely destroyed the town center. As a result most of the houses in Ribe’s town center date from after that fire. Most of the cathedral was spared.

In 1594 part of the Commoner’s Tower collapsed. It was rebuilt, but 10 meters lower and without a spire. This flattopped tower remains to present day.

The next tragedy to befall Ribe occurred on October 11-12 of 1634 when a violent storm surge caused water to flow into the town. Called the “Great Drowning” it is thought over 8000 people drowned in a single night. In the cathedral, the water rose as high as the pulpit. Marks of the flood can be seen today on one of the columns behind the pulpit.

In 1741 Hans Adolph Brorsen became Bishop of Ribe. He remained the Bishop for the remainder of his life. He died in 1764. Brorsen is familiar to many Danes as the creator of the first hymn book of the Danish Lutheran Church. His first hymn book contained a translation of the German Pietist hymns plus 82 original pieces by Brorsen. A second hymn book was published after his death. From his collection of hymns comes the still popular funeral hymn Hir vil ties (Here will be silent).

Brorsen and his work were almost forgotten, but during the Romantic era (approximately 1800-1850), his reputation was revived, and he is now ranked as one of the four greatest Danish hymn writers and the most important poet of Southern Jutland. He is buried in Ribe cathedral.

Between 1883 and 1904 the cathedral was completely restored. Each section was put back to its original style. Three new doors were added including a new Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

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bronze door for the main entrance. The door was created by the Danish artist and sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. During the restoration the church was cleared of the plaster layers.

Unfortunately most of the medieval fresco paintings under the plaster were destroyed in the process. A painting of the Virgin and infant Jesus was preserved in the nave and one of the pillers has a painting of the apostles Bartholomew and Andrew. A large wooden figure of St. George and the Dragon also survives in the north aisle.

On my trip I was surprised to see very modern paintings, painted glass and mosaics in the church. While Karsten and Ana climbed up the 248 steps in the Commoner’s tower, I sat and talked with the ticket seller. When I commented on the modern artwork in the very old church, I obviously hit a nerve. He said the church needed updating but it was expensive.

The state offered financial help, but that also gave them the right to pick the artist and gave the artist the right to create. With what was more resignation than anger he said, “And so who does the government pick, an atheist.”

This update occurred between 1983 and 1987. The artist chosen was Carl-Henning Pedersen. He was a Danish painter and key member of the COBRA movement. Referred to as the “Scandinavian Chagall” he was one of the the leading Danish artists of the the 20th Century.

Pedersen was born in Copenhagen and grew up in a poor area near Vigerslev Alle.

He held radical political opinions but his art work was definitely at odds with his communist friends who preferred social realism. He had travelled to Paris in 1939 and saw the work of Picasso and Matisse. On the way back he stopped in Frankfurt am Main and saw the “degenerate art” show put on by Hitler to degrade modern art. It had the opposite effect on Pedersen who was especially impressed by the work of Chagall. Pedersen and his wife Else Alfelt were among the founding members of COBRA. This was a movement of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam (hence the name) who believed in producing free-form, spontaneous images in strong colors. He won

many awards for his work but seldom sold any.

He preferred not to sell his work but donated thousands of his pieces to the Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelt Museum and well as to the Danish National Gallery.

Apparently many were surprised when he was given the job of redecorating the cathedral in Ribe. As I heard from the ticket seller, this choice was not without controversy. One cleric strongly objected to the choice and to the work Pedersen did, saying that if it had been known he was a pagan, he, the cleric would have done anything he could to prevent it. A poll taken on the artwork resulted in over half of those who voted approving the work, so it stayed.

In the obituary of Pedersen written by Christopher Masters, he writes, “It is fortunate that the disapproving cleric did not manage to thwart Pedersen, since the murals, painted glass and mosaics that he completed at Ribe Cathedral in 1987 are some of the most remarkable religious images of the 20th century.

While Pedersen may not have been religious, looking at his work it is impossible to think he was not spiritual. He called the work in the church a “celebration of life.” I found this picture of Pedersen with the quote translated below.

“So I stood up at the top, bent my head back, looked out into the room of the church, felt like I was under the great vault of heaven, and perhaps felt a little lost. Then the organ suddenly began, the organist played, and that was when the brush in my hand felt free, and I gave myself to drawing, a free composition, which I prefer to call About the Mystery of Existence.”

And so one of oldest cathedrals in Denmark displays the spiritual expression of “modern times.” Personally, I liked it. I think perhaps those Vikings of long ago with their spirit of adventure may also have liked it.

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Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

The Danish Sisterhood Marketplace Butikken DanishSisterhood.com

Contact Linda Holz for shipping and handling charges.

Red plastic heart-shaped paper clip $1.00 Letter Opener $4.00

Hygge T- Shirt  Red with white print M, L, XL, XXL $20 Greeting Cards blank inside, $1.00 each

Black baseball cap with heart logo in satin stitch embroidery $20.00

Black baseball cap with Laser cut boxes heart logo in sequins (unassembled) for table $20.00 favors $ 0.75

Frik T- Shirt Red with white print (Front and Back Shown) M, L, XL, XXL $20

To order contact: Linda Holz Email: trustee1@danishsisterhood.com Phone: 515.225.0951 4400 EP True Pkwy, Unit 47 West Des Moines , IA 50265-5615 Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

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The Danish Sisterhood Marketplace Butikken DanishSisterhood.com Contact Linda Holz for shipping and handling charges.

Sisterhood License Plate Frame Frame has dual fastening holes at the top of the fame. White with red DSS logo. $4.00 each or 2 for $6.00

Red ball point pen with Sisterhood website address $5.00

DSS Fleece Jacket Available Red and Black $37.50

Coral Pendant with Silver Filigree Red and silver necklace pendant $45.00

Denmark Flag Enamel Earrings pierced $10/pair

Onesie Red with white print 6 mo - 12 mo - 18 mo $15.00

Car Decal White with a red Danish Flag Heart $3.00 ea or 2 for $5.00

Wine Bottle Opener Red with black trim, danishsisterhood.com printed on side. $5.00

Heartscarf Available in Red and White $15.00

To order contact: Linda Holz Email: trustee1@danishsisterhood.com Phone: 515.225.0951 4400 EP True Pkwy, Unit 47 West Des Moines , IA 50265-5615 13

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

SHAPE OUR FUTURE: RUN FOR NATIONAL BOARD Submitted by Karin Wasler Last month we shared the general responsibilities of our National Board Trustees. This month, we take a closer look at how the Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer support our organization.

As you know, the duties of our trustees and Vice President are often assigned based on interest and talent. At the beginning of a term, the National President will review organizational needs and assess how to distribute ‘tasks.’

VICE PRESIDENT During this term, the National Vice President has been responsible for maintaining and updating our website and social media accounts. This critical role allows our organization to be visible on the internet and supports national initiatives through our Facebook presence. Additionally, the National Vice President shares minor administrative duties with the President, and would step into the role of President if necessary.

SECRETARY The National Secretary is the steward of our records: board meeting minutes, membership records and reporting. Interactions with individual members and lodges about membership is also a regular task of the Secretary. This role is critical to preserving the records of our membership for future generations.

TREASURER What would any organization do without a National Treasurer? Providing us with financial oversight, leading the charge of managing cash flow, reporting on our budget and providing annual reports, are among the National Treasurer’s duties. Day-to-day responsibilities include interacting with local lodges and individual members as well as the auditing firm.

Please reach out to any of the current board members for more information on their current role.

If you’d like to be considered for a board position, please submit a resume and letter of interest to Glenda Madrid, National Secretary at secretary@danishsisterhood.com.

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

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RESOLUTION Danish Sisterhood member Margie Mae (Jensen) Miller of Lodge No. 90, Lincoln, Nebraska has passed away. She died May 14, 2019, at the age of 80, in Kearney, Nebraska.

She is survived by her husband, Gayle Miller and daughter Dr. Annette Miller, husband Michael Westcott, daughter Lexi of Kearney, NE. She is also survived by son Douglas, wife Rachael of Tucson, AZ and two children Ila and Luca.

After high school Margie attended a state college and received a rural teaching certificate. She married Gayle in 1958, living in central Nebraska, they raised their family and then moved to Lincoln. She worked for the University of Nebraska and really enjoyed her job and the people that she met. We got to know Margie in January of 1986 when she joined our Danish Sisterhood Lodge and remained a member for 33 years. We enjoyed her smile, the willingness to make friends and a devoted member of our Danish Lodge activities. Margie was elected to all of the officers positions in our Lodge, but I remember her best as our historian. She always enjoyed taking pictures and organizing well preserved scrapbooks of our many Danish events. What great memories we have when we look at those pictures. Husband Gayle attended Danish Brotherhood meetings at the same time and place, as our Sisterhood meetings; he was always attentive and by her side. During Danish gatherings, I always enjoyed our social time together, with pleasant conversations over a meal or just coffee and dessert.

In 2000, the Millers moved from Lincoln to live in Valentine, NE and later moved to Kearney, NE to be closer to family. A proud mother and grandmother, Margie always shared the latest news of their family. We were happy to keep in touch, she was always thrilled to hear from us. After all, we were Danish Sisters and good friends for a very long time! Margie and Gayle attended the 2017 NE/CO District Sisterhood Convention in Grand Island, NE. I was pleased to see both of them again and renew our friendship. Gayle comes from Swedish ancestry and Margie was all Dane, and I might add, an enjoyable Dane. Other relatives and friends grieve her passing, we are going to miss her, too.

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Joan Tomlinson White, Past President Lodge No. 90 Lincoln, Nebraska 15

Danish Sisterhood News, August 2019

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