ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (December 18, 2023) — More than 45 Augustana College students participated in the annual celebration of the Festival of Sankta Lucia on December 4 at the college's Ascension Chapel.
The celebration, held at Augustana's Ascension Chapel, commemorated the Sankta Lucia Festival with traditional Scandinavian Christmas carols, lessons and poetry.
Sankta Lucia is a cherished tradition of the Advent season in all the Nordic countries. A candlelight procession of singers is led by a young woman robed in white with a crown of candles on her head, to commemorate the martyred St Lucy (d 304 AD).
Each year, an Augustana student is chosen to portray Lucia during the event. This year, Lucia was played by Madeline Kusar, a senior from Chicago, majoring in Scandinavian studies and German studies.
Music in the program was drawn from the Advent and Christmas traditions of the historic Augustana Lutheran Church and the other Swedish-American denominations in the United States.
Featured music included the Ascension Ringers, directed by Ben Holmes, singing from Swedish students, and music by organist Chris Nelson.
The celebration was hosted by Augustana's Scandinavian Studies Program, together with the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, the American Scandinavian Association at Augustana, and Campus Ministries.
Participating students included:
Austin Ford, a Senior majoring in Business Administration-Management from Rock Island (61201)
Phoebe Fuller, a Sophomore majoring in Creative Writing and Women Gender & Sexuality Studies from Rock Island (61201)
Evan Finley, a First-Year majoring in Augie Ages from Moline (61265)
Logan Smiddy, a First-Year majoring in Augie Ages from Hillsdale (61257)
Augustana College is a vibrant, welcoming liberal-arts college located on a 115-acre campus in the Quad Cities (pop 400,000) along the Mississippi River. Augustana, a residential campus, has 100 majors and programs, 160 student organizations, and 28 varsity-athletic teams.
The college enrolls 2,500 students in a metro area that provides access to many career-paths and hands-on learning opportunities, including internships, jobs, student teaching, and research sites.
