Elizabeth Fedde
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Fedde was a Norwegian Lutheran
Deaconess
who established the Norwegian Relief Society to better served the Norwegian-American immigrant community.
, near Flekkefjord
, in Vest-Agder
county, Norway
. She was trained as a deaconess
at the Lovisenberg Deaconess House under the supervision of Mother Katinka Guldberg who had herself been trained at the Fliedner Motherhouse in Kaiserswerth, Germany
.
Elisabeth spent much of her early career in Troms
where she lived and worked under harsh and primitive conditions. On her thirty-second birthday, Sister Elisabeth received a letter from her brother-in-law Gabriel Fedde challenging her to set up a ministry in New York City
for Norwegian seamen there. She departed for the United States
three months later and arrived on April 9, 1883.
Sister Elisabeth firmly established her work beginning on April 19 of the same year with the founding of the Norwegian Relief Society. The service establishing the society was presided by Pastor Mortensen; Gabriel had served as his secretary. In the beginning, the Relief Society was a boarding house with three small rooms rented for a price of $9 per month and located at 109 Williams Street, near the Seaman’s Church. Sister Elisabeth also made significant efforts at visiting the sick and distressed, often writing in a journal about her experiences.
In 1885, Fedde opened a deaconess house for the training of other women to help in her ministry. Originally, the house consisted of a nine bed hospital that ultimately became Lutheran Medical Center
of Brooklyn
. After remaining in New York for several years, she left at the request of Lutherans in Minnesota
to come and minister to them. She arrived in Minneapolis in 1888 and established the Lutheran Deaconess Home and Hospital of the Lutheran Free Church
the next year and helped plan for a third hospital in Chicago
.
Eventually, the work in America proved to be exhausting and Sister Elisabeth returned to Norway in November 1895 to Ola Sletteb, a suitor whom she had left to conduct her missionary work. The two were married shortly after her return. Elisabeth died on February 25, 1921. She is commemorated on that date on the Calendar of Saints
by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
.
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
Deaconess
Deaconess
Deaconess is a non-clerical order in some Christian denominations which sees to the care of women in the community. That word comes from a Greek word diakonos as well as deacon, which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace...
who established the Norwegian Relief Society to better served the Norwegian-American immigrant community.
Biography
Elisabeth Fedde was born in FedaFeda
Feda former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kvinesdal. In 2009, the village of Feda had a population of 390....
, near Flekkefjord
Flekkefjord
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The rural municipalities of Bakke, Gyland, Hidra, and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the...
, in Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. She was trained as a deaconess
Deaconess
Deaconess is a non-clerical order in some Christian denominations which sees to the care of women in the community. That word comes from a Greek word diakonos as well as deacon, which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace...
at the Lovisenberg Deaconess House under the supervision of Mother Katinka Guldberg who had herself been trained at the Fliedner Motherhouse in Kaiserswerth, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Elisabeth spent much of her early career in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
where she lived and worked under harsh and primitive conditions. On her thirty-second birthday, Sister Elisabeth received a letter from her brother-in-law Gabriel Fedde challenging her to set up a ministry in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for Norwegian seamen there. She departed for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
three months later and arrived on April 9, 1883.
Sister Elisabeth firmly established her work beginning on April 19 of the same year with the founding of the Norwegian Relief Society. The service establishing the society was presided by Pastor Mortensen; Gabriel had served as his secretary. In the beginning, the Relief Society was a boarding house with three small rooms rented for a price of $9 per month and located at 109 Williams Street, near the Seaman’s Church. Sister Elisabeth also made significant efforts at visiting the sick and distressed, often writing in a journal about her experiences.
In 1885, Fedde opened a deaconess house for the training of other women to help in her ministry. Originally, the house consisted of a nine bed hospital that ultimately became Lutheran Medical Center
Lutheran Medical Center
The Lutheran Medical Center is an academic teaching hospital in Brooklyn, New York City.-Overview:Lutheran Medical Center was founded in 1883 by Sister Elisabeth Fedde, a Norwegian Lutheran deaconess nurse...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. After remaining in New York for several years, she left at the request of Lutherans in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to come and minister to them. She arrived in Minneapolis in 1888 and established the Lutheran Deaconess Home and Hospital of the Lutheran Free Church
Lutheran Free Church
The Lutheran Free Church was a Lutheran denomination that existed in the United States from 1897 to 1963 mainly in Minnesota and North Dakota...
the next year and helped plan for a third hospital in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Eventually, the work in America proved to be exhausting and Sister Elisabeth returned to Norway in November 1895 to Ola Sletteb, a suitor whom she had left to conduct her missionary work. The two were married shortly after her return. Elisabeth died on February 25, 1921. She is commemorated on that date on the Calendar of Saints
Calendar of Saints (Lutheran)
The Lutheran Calendar of Saints is a listing which details the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by some Lutheran Churches in the United States. The calendars of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod are from the...
by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination, with 152,788 baptized members in 624 congregations, with the second largest, the Lutheran Church–Canada, having 72,116 baptized members...
.
Other sources
- Rolfsrud, E. N. The Borrowed Sister. The Story of Elisabeth Fedde (Minneapolis, MN: 1953)