Akeman Benefice visit to Swedish Link Parish – June 2025

by Diana Glover

On 12 June nine people, mostly from the Akeman Benefice and Bicester and Islip Deanery, enjoyed a six-day visit to the parish of Mönsterås with Fliseryd. This parish within the Kalmar County of Sweden has been linked with the Akeman Benefice for seven years and is part of the Växjö Diocese with which  Oxford Diocese has been twinned since 2003. The Reverend Gareth Miller, team rector of the Benefice and Area Dean, organised the visit along with The Reverend Magnus Johansson and his team from the Swedish parish. The two parishes have been alternating visits to each other since their twinning.

The trip, which was more like a pilgrimage, was a wonderful mixture of time spent in churches and cathedrals, enjoying hospitality and appreciating the space, forest roads, colourful architecture and the peace of the Baltic Coast.

On our first evening we visited the daughter church of Fliseryd for a Lutheran Eucharist for Pentecost with a joyful choir and atmospheric red lighting within the sanctuary. Our hosts treated us to a supper of delicious smörgastårta (a multi-layered sandwich in the style of a cake) and a quiz. 

The next day our group explored the little town of Mönsterås and walked along the estuary of the Baltic Sea. It was interesting to witness sixth formers dressed in dark suits or white dresses celebrating the end of their time at school with a special ceremony in the church and gifts of flowers. We also learned how the parish is able to own buildings and employ quite a lot of staff thanks to the Swedish tax system in which taxpayers contribute to their local church (though there is an opt-out). We visited the parish’s beautiful woodland chapel and burial grounds with a newly built barn that houses several tractors and farm machinery and were invited to a delightful woodland walk and tea with two parishioners from Fliseryd.

One of the many highlights of our visit was the day spent in Växjö where we were struck by the beautiful exterior of the Cathedral with its russet colour paint. Thomas Wärfman, the Domprost (Dean), gave us a tour of the interior with its unusual font and altar triptych and a prayer station in the form of the Tree of Life.

By happy coincidence Bishop Olivia, former Bishop of Reading, was visiting the cathedral to give a talk on the environment so we were all able to attend that meeting after lunch and a pleasant visit to the bishop’s house (Östrabo). 

On Sunday morning we worshipped at Mönsterås Church where the clergy in our team were invited to participate in the Eucharist. Gareth may have pulled the short straw by being invited to preach on the Trinity! Once again, we enjoyed the generous hospitality of the parish by being invited to lunch in the Parish House and an evening barbecue outside one of the parish retreat houses at Tallviken on the coast.

Our last full day was spent in Kalmar where we visited the magnificent castle overlooking the coast, spent time in the baroque cathedral and made a trip over to the long island of Öland where we were entertained to the traditional “fika” coffee break in the grounds of another stunning retreat house.

A visit to the beautiful city of Stockholm was arranged as part of our journey home. This included seeing inside both the Riddarholmen Church where many of the kings and queens of Sweden are buried. We visited the Cathedral with its magnificent statue of George slaying the dragon and also crossed by ferry to the Vasa Museum with its preserved 17th century ship that sank in 1628.

During our time in Sweden not only did we get to know each other as a group of pilgrims but also established continuing and made new friendships with our hosts who were generous and open in their invitation to us to participate in the life of their church. It was particularly uplifting to experience Lutheran worship in Sweden – a combination of formal ritual, joyful music and inclusive welcome. 

We were sad to say goodbye to our friends from Mönsterås with Fliseryd but look forward to welcoming them to the Akeman Benefice for a return visit before too long.

More pictures of this visit can be seen on our  Gallery Page