In December 1855, the Praefectura Apostolica Poli Arctici was established, commonly referred to as the Arctic Mission. Its task was to conduct Catholic missions beyond the Arctic Circle in northern Norway and Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland, the Orkney Islands, the Kola Peninsula, Caithness in Scotland, and the Arctic region of North America, from Baffin Bay to Melville Island. The first prefect of the mission from 1855 to 1861 was Paul Marie Etienne de Djunkovskij from Russia. Alta, a town in the western part of Finnmark County, was chosen as the base for the mission. In 1856, a chapel and school for boys were established at Altagård Farm, which operated for over 20 years.

In 1869, the Vatican dissolved the North Pole Mission and concluded that the Church in this area should be organized differently.

The last Catholic missionaries in Alta ended their activities here in 1898 and moved to other areas. Disease, epidemics, poverty, and hunger among the local population contributed to this, and many were forced to emigrate to North America. The priests had to close Altagård, where the school for children and young people was located, as well as the base for their activities in Northern Norway. However, the churches that were founded during the 14 years of the mission's existence (including in Tromsø in 1859) and the active evangelization efforts bore fruit, and Catholicism continued to develop in this part of Norway. In 1880, the Sisters of St. Elizabeth came to Hammerfest, 140 km from Alta, and began their ministry in Northern Norway. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)