Yesterday, King Harald of Norway died. He was the only King we here at Tautra had known in the 27 years we have been here.

It is only when we read the history and life of King Harald that we realize how much easier it has been for us to be accepted because of what he has done.

Not everyone knows the story of how Harold V became King in 1991. There was a near constitutional crisis when the Crown Prince refused to marry a royal and insisted on marrying Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner, and daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen

King Olav, Harald's father, hesitated in granting his son Harald consent to marry a commoner, as he feared such a union would be seen as a potential threat to the monarchy's legitimacy.

But Harald was determined to remain unmarried unless he got the consent.

The couple's marriage was officially announced on March 18, 1968, after a nine-year courtship and they were married on this day August 29th of the same year.

Despite the reservations and constitutional risks, Harald and Sonja's love story is now a significant part of Norwegian royal history.

Their wedding was a great occasion and their union broke, once and for all, with traditional royal marriage practices, naturally causing widespread debate and controversy at the time.

As things turned out, the couple’s decision to hold out for so long was seen as a brave move that resulted in their wedding and the continuation of the Royal family in Norway.

And a change in all royal relationships! Harald was truly a king before his time.

Interestingly, their years of courtship and insistence on change, more or less coincided with the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church and the growing pains for change felt by so many in the Catholic world.

The liturgy had been for centuries in a language the vast majority now no longer understood. During Mass the priest faced the altar with his back to the people.

The church had carried so many trappings of the past that hung heavily over many of the faithful and the cry for change was almost universal.

The Council came to an end in 1968, the same year Crown Prince Harald and Sonja Haroldsen were allowed to marry.

Little wonder that Catholic Churches were among the first to ring their bells when King Harald’s death was announced yesterday.

Last evening, thousands lined the roads as his body was brought from the hospital to the Palace. The heavy rain did not deter them.

We have an old saying in Ireland: Blessed is the corpse the rain falls on.

In many ways the rain seemed most appropriate as it blended with the mood of the mourners. One could see peoples of all races and colours shedding tears for the King who made them feel welcome in this land.

The rain would also water the huge array of flowers left outside the palace by the commoners of the country in memory of their beloved King. For King Harald loved the common people and saw them as his own.

After all he married one of them and she was his great love and support for nearly 60 years of marriage. She graced our monastery with two visits, in 2003 and again was present for the dedication of the Church in 2007.

For King Harald, every commoner was a royal, and every poor person a prince. Every person had a royal value. Every religion was to be respected and every child was special.

Despite having limited constitutional powers, he was a unifier of the country at difficult moments. In 2011 for example, after Anders Breivik killed 77 people, Harald declared that "freedom is stronger than fear".

King Harald’s traditional New Year’s Eve talks were so simple most any child could understand them. And yet they touched on the most challenging topics of modern-day life.

In recent years, and no longer able to stand he still insisted on giving his yearly talks from his desk. His motto was to keep going to the end.

A keen sportsman, he quickly learned that when one is tumbled over, they come back up again. When one stumbles on skis, one rubs of the snow and straightens up once more.

We, in the Catholic Church, salute you today, King Harald, and we ring our church bells in appreciation of your life and the doors you have opened.

Amen!