At the end of November, it will be two years since the episcopal ordination of the Bishop of Helsinki, Raimo Goyarrola. In this interview, Bishop Raimo reflects on his experience – the joys and challenges of a growing Church.
Responsibility and Joy
Bishop Raimo has now been shepherd of the Diocese of Helsinki for almost two years – one year and ten months at the time of the interview. “Of course, a shepherd always carries great responsibility, but thanks be to God, I feel much peace and joy in my heart, because beyond the responsibility this is for me a great gift. Our Church is truly beautiful and growing – and it is a genuinely Catholic Church.”
Indeed, this is no exaggeration: “More than a hundred nationalities, all the rites – I have learned so much from people as I have visited every parish and many different places, almost everywhere where there are Catholics across Finland.”
He continues with gratitude: “I have learned from them what faith means in practice, and what it means to have the Mass at the centre of life. Many have told me: ‘We need a tabernacle, we need our own church.’ That is wonderful. I thank God every day that we have a faithful and growing Church – it is so beautiful.”
A Church that Lives and Grows
“Recently, when I was in Rome with the Nordic Bishops’ Conference, Pope Leo XIV received us warmly and spoke with us personally. He asked about our local Churches – and he already knew a lot! The Pope said that the Churches of the Nordic countries are a good example for the whole Church. He spoke about faith, about churches that are full, and about how we try to bring the Good News of the Gospel to everyone. It is a missionary Church. I feel the same way: we have a wonderful missionary Church here in Finland!”
“Of course there are challenges and problems, but fortunately we are not alone. God does everything in His own time and at His own pace. We simply need to trust Him and keep going forward.”
New Evangelisation and the Pastoral Plan
The Bishop has also taken seriously the call to renew the diocese through new evangelisation. For this purpose, he prepared a pastoral plan for the whole diocese.
“I can honestly say that we have a good presbyterate – priests who are faithful to the Church and to their bishop. That is a great gift. When I drafted the diocesan pastoral plan for new evangelisation, I sent it to all the priests, also to religious sisters and to many lay people, asking for feedback, comments, additions and corrections. In this way, the whole Church could take part in this project. I received a lot of feedback and many good ideas, and from them the official pastoral plan was born. It is now available online.”
Following the themes of that plan, “I have established sixteen commissions that deal with different topics and themes: education, formation, religious instruction in schools, vocations, clergy, bioethics, social media, ecumenism, and many others. Each commission includes at least one priest and several lay people,” the Bishop explains. “Although there is great interest, the challenge is time – but that is the eternal challenge for all people in this world. The most important thing is to set our priorities right.”
“Of course, I hope that as Christians our priority would be precisely this: to make space for God in our hearts and minds and to bring Jesus to everyone. That is the real priority – everything else is secondary.”
“I hope that the entire diocese will take part in this new evangelisation: that we may strengthen our life of prayer, sacramental life, formation and communion. In a certain sense, we are a living tabernacle bringing Jesus to others.”
Living in the Diaspora: ‘You Are Not Alone’
Many Catholics live far from a church. The Bishop is very aware of this: “To all those who live far from a church, I would first like to say: you are not alone. My dream as bishop is that in every city and village there would be a church or a chapel, with the Mass, a tabernacle, catechesis for children, and a place to gather. This is my dream. And if we remain faithful to Jesus, it will come true.”
“Until that happens, let us remember that we are, in a sense, the living Body of Jesus. You are the Church wherever you are. Even if the distance is long, even if you cannot always attend Mass physically, you are still a living Church and a living tabernacle. If you cannot go to church on Sunday, you can still take part spiritually. Many of our parishes stream the Mass online. If you have no internet, you can read the readings of the day, spend a moment in silent prayer, and unite yourself spiritually to a Mass somewhere.”
He continues: “During the pandemic we learned that the digital world is also real. Of course, it cannot replace the sacraments, but God knows everything, and grace comes from Him. Do not worry – try to live in communion.”
“There are two kinds of communion: Eucharistic communion, which is Jesus Himself, and ecclesial communion, the communion of the Church which is His Body. Jesus acts in both. If you truly cannot be physically present, ask yourself: what does the Mass mean to me this Sunday – and dream.”
Living far away should not make us passive but inspire us to look around: “The Church is also in our hands. Look for other Catholics. If there is one family in a town, there may be another, and perhaps a third through the school. That is already a community – first five people, then fifteen, then forty. At that point it is clear: a priest is needed there. That is how the Church grows.”
Vocation: God’s Dream for Us
“I have asked all parish priests to pray at Sunday Masses for vocations – to priesthood, to marriage, to religious life and to the various charisms of the laity. This prayer is repeated every Sunday, and we have already seen responses.”
It takes time to form new priests, but the long view is essential: “It is a process, a marathon, but I am sure that the different vocations go hand in hand.”
Marriage is, of course, also an important vocation: the more marriages, families and children, the more other vocations will emerge. “That is the natural and human path,” the Bishop notes, adding: “I would love to see more children.”
Life in Europe, in the prosperous West, can be difficult: everything is expensive, housing is hard to find, often both parents need to work. Yet, as the Bishop points out, “once again, it is a question of priorities. It would be good if we had more children, because in the end they become children of God. Often at Mass I pray and ask that at least one young man might come to me afterwards and say, ‘I want to become a priest.’ It has already happened: four young men have come to speak with me, and we have talked and prayed together.”
It does not happen by chance: “You have to cast the net. There are two means: more prayer – because whoever asks, receives – and more speaking about vocations. The more we talk about it, the more interest grows. It happened to me as well: I had never thought of a vocation until someone asked me directly. That is how it began. That’s why we must talk about it.”
“Each of us has a vocation. A vocation is God’s dream for us – that we may be happy here on earth and in eternal life. Everyone has a vocation; we just have to discover it.”
In Europe, individualism is strong, and commitment is difficult – to marriage, to priesthood, to lifelong choices. “For some, family situations with crises or divorce can make the fear of commitment stronger.” Yet there is another side: “At the same time, I see another phenomenon: young people, especially young men, are increasingly interested in Christianity. This is visible in those joining the Church: many are young students.”
But there is no need to fear: “If you are a Christian, you are with Jesus, and you are never alone. The whole Church is with you. When things are clear, it is worth taking the leap. Saint Peter could walk on water until he began to doubt, but even then Jesus cared for him. It is always worth jumping in.”
The Digital World and the Visibility of the Church
Having recently opened his own Instagram account, Bishop Raimo explains: “It is important to me that the Church be present in the digital world, because it is a real world. Thanks be to God, most of our parishes already have new websites – and soon all will. At the diocesan level, too, we are now strongly engaged. There are many people online who are interested in the Catholic faith and the Church. That is why social media and communication are so important: they make the Church visible in Finland. I think the development has been very good.”
“People need nourishment – especially the sacraments and the Word of God – and that is why the Church exists. Thanks be to God, this summer we opened the Church of St James the Apostle in Lauttasaari. It is a wonderful place with five Sunday Masses already, and it keeps growing. If all goes well, we will soon have another church in Vaasa. There is a long list of places that need a church – I believe these dreams will come true. We need faith and prayer – but also money.”
Membership and Shared Responsibility
Yes, finances are also part of reality, and for the Bishop they can be a concern: “This request has been repeated many times – that the membership fee should be paid. The word ‘membership fee’ may sound strange to some, but we can think of it as my contribution to the care of my Church family.”
Bishop Raimo underlines: “Let us remember the widow in the Gospel who gave two small coins – and it was enough. If we give what we can, we will have more churches, more Masses in different places, more family visits; we can complete the Diocesan Formation Centre in Espoo (on the site of the former Carmelite convent), and we can build a new Stella Maris and new churches in other cities. With faith – but also with resources. Thanks be to God that we have grown, and if God wills, the training centre and also the Catholic school will start soon.”
He points out that “the membership fee is primarily for basic operations, while project funding should come from elsewhere.” There are therefore two levels: “The first is everyday maintenance – we have eight parishes, four large ones that can manage on their own and four smaller ones that cannot. This covers basic needs: heating, taxes, repairs. The second level is building up the diocese: the Formation Centre, Stella Maris, the bishop’s house, the school, and in the future perhaps a retirement home.”
That is what a normal diocese is – diverse and functioning. But the Bishop knows well: “It takes time, faith, prayer, and money.”
“I would also hope that we can take even better care of parishioners who are sick, elderly, or lonely, of all people whose life situations are difficult, because it is precisely in works of charity that the faith of the Church – and of each of us – is truly tested. That is what it means to be the Church: not to look inward only, but to extend a helping hand outward, to the whole world. Good deeds and care for those around us make the Gospel real.”
The Bishop rejoices that the school project, initiated at first through the diocese, will soon move fully under a new independent foundation. “In October, a Finnish foundation will begin operating the school, in close cooperation with the Spanish Parentes Foundation.”
“The goal is that the school will from the beginning be truly Catholic. The foundation includes the bishop or his delegate. This model is good because it does not burden the diocese,” the Bishop says.
“The Parentes Foundation has a lot of experience around the world and has succeeded in saving and renewing many Catholic schools that were in danger of closing. In our case it is new for them too, since it is a school just beginning, but they are very interested. Finland’s educational level and reputation are still highly respected worldwide and therefore attractive. I am very grateful and hope we will have many students. The school is primarily for Catholic families but open to all who wish to grow in Catholic values.”
A major and unexpected challenge came last winter, when it was discovered that the basement of the bishop’s house – where the diocesan finance office operates – required immediate renovation due to contamination and dry rot. “It was a real surprise and has already required much work and resources that were needed elsewhere. But the bishop’s house is also the curia – it contains the diocesan offices and reception space. It has a hundred-year history in the life of our diocese, and all our bishops have lived there. The house is important for our local Church. Its doors are open to everyone, and hundreds of people have visited – guests, ecumenical partners, representatives of other religions. It is an important place of encounter.”
Evangelisation and Synodality
“My wish is that every Catholic would be a praying Catholic – one who prays for others and also speaks to them about Jesus. The first Christians had no basilicas, only families. Lay people proclaimed the Gospel by their lives and by their words.”
“It is actually easy,” he continues. “At work or school on Monday you can simply say that our family went to Mass on Sunday and then had lunch together – and that can start a conversation. Or when someone is ill, you can say that you are praying for them. It is important to speak about Jesus with words too, because the name of Jesus is powerful.”
“When Pope Francis spoke about synodality, he meant precisely this: walking together, listening, learning – but toward what goal? Toward heaven, toward evangelisation. Synodality is not sitting still, but being on the move, proclaiming the Gospel. When the diocese was without a bishop for four years, it did not mean that the Church ceased to exist.”
“The Church always lives. In a sense, you are the Church where you are – at home, at work, at the gym. The Church is not only an ornament or a cross around the neck, but a living witness of communion. This is synodality: a communion where everyone has their task and each one is equally important.”
“It is good to dream together. A growing Church must of course grow spiritually, but also economically and structurally. Baby clothes no longer fit. The goal is not profit, but the orderly development of expanding activity – serving the faithful closer and better.”
“It is important to me that the Church has an influence in society, in culture and in education. Gradually this is happening, even though we are a small Church. That is why visibility is important – and influence can be real. God does everything, but He works through us.”
At the end of the long interview, the Bishop encourages all of us:
“I hope that every Catholic will be an ambassador of hope – one who prays, participates, and bears witness to God’s love in his or her own environment.”
Thank you for the interview, Bishop Raimo!
Marko Tervaportti