Skagestad was a key figure in the resistance movement of the church during the German occupation of Norway.
Gabriel Skagestad was born on 25 November 1879 in Holme Municipality in southern Norway.
In 1926, he was called to become a professor at the MF Norwegian School of Theology seminary in Oslo.
[1] As bishop, during the German occupation of Norway, Skagestad worked against the collaborations with the Quisling regime and its interference with the priesthood.
Bishop Kvasnes received little popular acceptance and the majority of the priests regarded themselves as Skagestad's men.