Helsinki: Facing an unprecedented surge in the Catholic population in one of Europe’s most secular nations, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola of Helsinki the only Catholic bishop in Finland has launched an international appeal for financial assistance to sustain his rapidly expanding but resource-poor diocese.
Bishop Goyarrola, a native of Bilbao, Spain, has been touring the United States alongside Father Jean Claude Kabeza, vicar general of the Helsinki Diocese and pastor of St. Henry’s Cathedral, to raise funds for new pastoral initiatives. Speaking during a stop in Houston, the two Church leaders described a community marked by diversity, dynamism, and growing needs.
Though Catholics represent just 0.2% of Finland’s 5.6 million people, the Church has witnessed remarkable expansion. More than 300 adults are currently preparing for baptism, a figure unprecedented in the country’s recent history.
“This is a Church full of life vibrant, multicultural, and on fire with faith,” Bishop Goyarrola said. “But it is also very poor. We have 125 nationalities and multiple rites. It’s a beautiful richness, but it creates immense pastoral challenges.”
Finland’s Catholic presence is spread thinly across a vast territory comparable in size to Montana. The entire country has only eight parishes, and half of them struggle financially. Mass is celebrated in 33 cities, but many families must travel up to 200 miles to attend due to the lack of churches and priests.
The diocese survives largely by renting space from other Christian communities 20 Lutheran churches and five Orthodox churches host Catholic worship in 25 cities. In Helsinki alone, the Church spends €12,000 ($14,000) monthly to rent a larger Lutheran church to meet the overwhelming demand for services.
St. Henry’s Cathedral, the primary Catholic church in the capital, is “far too small,” Father Kabeza said. At one point, the parish was offering eight Masses a day, yet many worshippers were still forced to stand outside in freezing temperatures. “As a pastor, it broke my heart to see people praying in the cold,” he said.
Because Finland has no Catholic educational institutions, Bishop Goyarrola hopes to build the country’s first Catholic school in Helsinki, along with a pastoral center to coordinate catechesis, charity, and outreach.
“We are truly a mission Church,” he said. “We have the faith, the joy, and the people. What we lack are the resources to serve them.”
Despite its challenges, Finland stands out as a model of inter-Christian cooperation. With Lutherans making up 65% of the population and Orthodox Christians about 0.3%, the minority churches often rely on each other.
Bishop Goyarrola calls Finland “a paradise of ecumenism.”
Last year, nearly 400 Christians including Lutherans, Catholics, and Orthodox joined a Marian procession in Helsinki. “The Orthodox brought icons, we brought statues, and two choirs one Catholic and one Orthodox sang together. It was a historic moment,” he said.
The country’s strong ecumenical spirit has even attracted global attention, including from the Vatican, especially after a landmark 2017 Catholic–Lutheran joint declaration on ministry and the Eucharist.
The bishop said the Church’s recent growth was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many churches closed, the Catholic community kept its doors open.
“Our buildings stayed open, our Masses continued,” Bishop Goyarrola said. “People were frightened and searching, and they found solace in a Church that welcomed them.”
Father Kabeza noted that many young men in particular were drawn to the Church’s sacramental life and its sense of stability. “They want something strong and enduring,” he said.
Father Kabeza’s own life mirrors the resilience of the community he serves. A survivor of the Rwandan genocide, he lost his father to violence and lived for years in a refugee camp before resettling in Finland through a UN program.
“Faith, forgiveness, and family are the pillars of life,” he said. “After witnessing so much suffering, you learn to give thanks for every person who remains.”
Bishop Goyarrola hopes his fundraising efforts abroad will help sustain the Church’s mission in Finland, one of the world’s most secular and most expensive countries.
Quoting Pope Leo XIV, he said: “Christians are brothers and sisters who must support each other.”
“We have a spiritual tsunami taking place in Finland,” the bishop added. “We have dreams, we have joy, we have faith but we don’t have money.”
He expressed confidence that the global Catholic community would extend a helping hand. “We are one family,” he said. “And my mission is to care for our children here in Finland.”