Catholic Church in Finland
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The Catholic Church in Finland (Finnish: Katolinen kirkko Suomessa) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
As of 2018[update], there were more than 15,000 registered Catholics in
As of 2018[update], there were five native-born Finnish priests, three of whom work in Finland. There are more than 30 priests from different countries serving in Finland.[2] Since the 2019 retirement of Teemu Sippo, the first native-born Finnish Catholic bishop since the Lutheran Reformation, the Diocese of Helsinki has been vacant, i.e. without a bishop.
The Catholic Church in Finland is active in ecumenical matters and is a member of the Finnish Ecumenical Council, even though the worldwide Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches.[3]
History
Catholicism was the first form of Christianity introduced into the area of present-day Finland in the 12th century.[4] In the 16th century, Finland, as part of Sweden, took part in the Lutheran Reformation after which Catholicism lost almost all ground in the area.
The first Catholic religious service in Finland following the death of the Catholic King John III of Sweden in 1592 was celebrated in 1796 in Turku by the Apostolic Vicar of Sweden, the Italian-born Father Paolo Moretti .[5]
A parish was established in 1799 in
In 1882 all the German priests and nuns were expelled. All foreign priests were expelled again in 1912. After
In 1920 an
.The Church of the Assumption of Mary was finished in Helsinki in 1954. The following year the apostolic vicariate was raised to a diocese. A parish in Tampere was established in 1957, a parish in Kouvola in 1985, and a parish in Oulu in 1992.
Catholic Church movements and groups are also active in Finland. One of these, the Neocatechumenal Way has established two Redemptoris Mater seminaries in Finland and maintains a presence both in Helsinki and in other towns, most notably Oulu.
A notable Catholic Finn in the early 21st century is the former head of the nationalist Finns Party, Timo Soini.
Bishops
Bishops of Turku
- Henrik, 1134–1158
- Rodolfus, 1202?–1209?
- Folkvinus, 1210?–1234?
- Tuomas, 1234?–1245
- Bero, 1248 tai 1249–1258
- Ragvald I, 1258–1266
- Catillus, 1266–1286
- Johannes, 1286–1290
- Maunu I, 1291–1308
- Ragvald II, 1309–1321
- Pentti Gregoriuksenpoika, 1321–1338
- Hemming, 1338–1366
- Henrik Hartmaninpoika, 1366–1367
- Johannes Pietarinpoika, 1367–1370
- Johannes Westfal, 1370–1385
- Bero Balk, 1385–1412
- Maunu Olavinpoika Tavast, 1412–1450
- Olavi Maununpoika, 1450–1460
- Konrad Bitz, 1460–1489
- Maunu III Särkilahti, 1489–1500
- Laurentius Michaelis, 1500–1506
- Johannes IV Olofsson, 1506–1510
- Arvid Kurck, 1510–1522
- Ericus Svenonius, 1523–1527
- Martti Skytte, 1528–1550
Bishops from 1923
Before the year 1955, Finland was a apostolic vicariate headed by an apostolic vicar, who was technically not the Bishop of Helsinki, but the titular bishop of a titular see, which is a defunct Roman Catholic diocese.
Apostolic Vicars of Finland 1923–1955
Apostolic Vicars of Finland | Tenure | Additional Information | |
---|---|---|---|
Johannes Michiel Buckx | May 23, 1923 – July 26 1933 | Titular Bishop of Doliche | |
Willem Petrus Bartholomaeus Cobben | December 19, 1933 – February 25, 1955 | Titular Bishop of Amathus in Palaestina. Appointed Bishop of Helsinki. |
Bishops of Helsinki 1955–
Bishops of Helsinki | Tenure | Additional Information | |
---|---|---|---|
Willem Petrus Bartholomaeus Cobben | February 25, 1955 – June 29, 1967 | Resigned | |
Paul Verschuren | June 29, 1967 – September 18, 1998 | Resigned | |
Józef Wróbel | November 30, 2000 – June 28, 2008 | Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Lublin | |
Teemu Sippo | June 16, 2009 – May 20, 2019 | First Finnish-born bishop in Finland since Arvid Kurck (1464–1522). Resigned. | |
Raimo Goyarrola | Since September 29, 2023 | Incumbent |
Churches
There are eight Catholic parishes in Finland:
- St. Henry's Cathedral, Helsinki (Sub Centres – Tapanila (Vantaa), Porvoo)
- St. Brigit & Blessed Hemming Church, Turku (Sub Centres – Åland, Eurajoki, Pori)
- St. Olav's Church, Jyväskylä
- St. Mary's Church, Helsinki (Sub Centres – Olari (Espoo), Hyvinkää, Karis)
- Holy Cross Church, Tampere (Sub Centres – Hämeenlinna, Kokkola, Kristinestad, Jakobstad, Seinäjoki, Vaasa)
- St. Ursula's Church, Kouvola (Sub Centres – Hamina, Kotka, Lahti, Lappeenranta)
- Holy Family of Nazareth Church, Oulu (Sub Centres – Rovaniemi, Tornio, Kemi, Kajaani)
- St. Joseph's Church, Kuopio (Sub Centres – Mikkeli, Savonlinna, Joensuu, Lieksa)
Masses are also celebrated at the sub centres of the above parishes and some Lutheran and Orthodox Churches on alternative weeks. There is a Catholic Church retreat and education centre named Stella Maris in Lohja.[7]
There is a high demand for establishing a new parish in Northern Finland at Rovaniemi which is a major tourist destination in Lapland.[8]
Religious orders
The
The relics of Bishop Henrik
The ownership of the relics of
Liturgical languages
Because half of the Roman Catholics in Finland are members of the international community, the Catholic Mass is regularly celebrated in 20 other languages in addition to Finnish. The languages beyond Finnish in which the Mass is celebrated include Swedish, English, Polish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Malayalam, Tamil and Hungarian.
See also
- Religion in Finland
- Catholic Diocese of Helsinki
- List of Catholic dioceses in Finland
- St. Henry's Cathedral
- St. Mary's Church, Helsinki
References
- ^ "Catholic church in Finland website (in Spanish)".
- ^ "Catholic church website (in Spanish)".
- ^ Finnish Ecumenical Council in English
- ^ Finnish Cottage website, The History of Finland
- ^ Catholic Turku website, Parish History
- ^ "Suomi ja Vatikaani". Suomi ulkomailla (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ Catholic 365 website, article dated July 27, 2015
- ^ "Catholic church in Finland website (in Finnish)".
- ^ Katolinen website
- ^ Stadium Catholicum website
- ^ Heikkilä 2005, p. 94. Some historians have proposed that the translation took place already before 1296, or even so late than 1309. The year 1300 is from the mid-15th century Chronicon and remains generally accepted.
- ISBN 978-952-288-620-0.
Works cited
- Heikkilä, Tuomas (2005). Pyhän Henrikin Legenda. SKS. ISBN 951-746-738-9.