The Danish church in Sydney

From 1915 until his retirement in 1960 at the age of 80, Pastor Ligaard held together the Danish church in Australia, first in Brisbane and then in Sydney. It was uphill all the way until 1988, when an anonymous donation and support from The Danish Church Abroad secured a church and pastorate, which finally moved to its present location in Pennant Hills in 2002. The current pastor, Jesper Engholm, arrived in 2005.

“I actually serve 3 churches,” he tells Church News, “in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, with a potential of 10,000 Danes. This includes permanent residents, contract visitors and tourists.

Once a month I’m in Melbourne and 4 times a year I’m in Brisbane. Our services are in Danish and follow the Danish ritual, but for those who want to learn it we also offer Danish classes at 3 levels. Our congregation in Sydney has 180 member families, whose donations help to finance the church. Both the residents and the visitors see the church as a meeting-place, a specifically Danish fellowship, where they can also reminisce about TV series ‘Matador’ or debate Denmark’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup. In the middle of winter we were as many as 100 to celebrate St. Hans with gløgg and apple slices. And within the past year we have joined together with the Danish Club in Sydney for a day of muddy football!”

As with all Danish churches abroad, finances are tight, but the breakthrough for the church in Sydney came with Queen Margrethe’s visit in 1987, after which the church received support from among others Mærsk Line and SAS. “It was as if her presence helped to bring things together for us,” says Pastor Engholm. “And we’re equally grateful to Prince Frederik, who officially named our church ‘Frederikskirken’ on his visit to Australia last week. And as if that isn’t enough, we also had the Thisted Church Boys’ and Men’s Choir to sing for us,” says Pastor Engholm.

By: Edward Broadbridge

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