Kaare Støylen (3 October 1909 – 22 August 1989) was a Norwegian

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and priest. He served as the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Diocese of Agder from 1957 to 1973.

Personal life

Kaare Støylen was born in Aker,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

on 3 October 1909. He was the son of Bernt Støylen, the future Bishop of Kristiansand, and his wife Kamilla Karoline Heiberg. In 1932, he married Agnes Louise Rosario Stray, however she died in 1943. He then married Honoria Margrethe Faye in 1945. Kaare Støylen died on 22 August 1989 in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Education and career

Kaare Støylen went to the Kristiansand Cathedral School in 1927. He went on to the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

, graduating in 1932 with a

Cand.theol. Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree. Later in life, in 1957, he graduated from the same school with a

doctor of theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

degree. Støylen spent many years serving the Norwegian Seamen's Church. He first served as an assistant priest at the Seamen's Church in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 1932 until 1935. After that, he moved to

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

to work in the administrative offices of the Seamen's Church from 1935 until 1940. In 1940, he became an assistant priest at the Bergen Cathedral. In 1946, he became a priest at the St. Jakob Church in Bergen. He also worked for the congregation of people who were

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

that met Bergen. In 1955, he was appointed as the General Secretary of the Seamen's Church. He held this post until 1958 when he was appointed to serve as

of the Diocese of Agder, based at the Kristiansand Cathedral. In 1973, after 15 years as bishop, he was appointed to be the new Bishop of the

Diocese of Oslo The Diocese of Oslo is the Church of Norway's Diocese, bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese ...

. As bishop, he was given the honor of

baptizing Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three t ...

the future King of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, in the Palace Chapel in

in 1973. He was decorated as Commander with Star of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1975. He served as Bishop of Oslo until his retirement in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoylen, Kaare 1909 births 1989 deaths Writers from Oslo Bishops of Oslo Støylen Norwegian non-fiction writers Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian non-fiction writers