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Nuns ask council for help finding new convent

The Local Sweden
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Nuns ask council for help finding new convent

Three catholic nuns have asked local authorities in Gällivare for help in finding a suitable convent in northern Sweden after allegedly being called by God for this very purpose.

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The nuns; sisters Amada, Carla and Magnificat came to the small community Nattavaara near Gällivare earlier this year to stay in a farm house belonging to an acquaintance from Stockholm.

“I don’t really know how we ended up in Nattavaara. But it was very speedy action, with clear signs from God to me to come here,” said sister Amada to local paper Norrbottenskuriren in April.

Since arriving in the village, the three nuns have already been receiving guests at their farm but need help from the local authorities to find a larger house which can be adapted to function as a convent as well as a retreat.

“To come to this beautiful area and learn to experience prayer in silence will appeal to many,” sister Amada wrote in her application to the council, according to newspaper Norrländska Socialdemokraten (NSD).

According to the sisters, the new catholic retreat wouldn’t necessarily just be for nuns but could also cater for monks and for others that need somewhere to go to find their inner stillness.

“A convent needs to be relatively large as it isn’t just meant for nuns but also for people who want to visit, both in the long term and short term. Many come to convents for retreats, for silence and for pastoral cure. First and foremost it is a place of prayer and silence,” the nuns wrote in the application.

The three nuns, who claim to have been sent to Nottbotten County by God to open a convent, have also expressed the wish that the property be close to nature.

Local property coordinator for Gällivare municipality, Antero Ijäs, told the paper that the nuns' application will be dealt with in due course.

“We will do our best to accommodate the nuns. There is a long queue for available Gällivare properties but it is not impossible that a suitable property is available in one of the nearby villages,” he told NSD.

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