On Saturday, September 27, the first open house for the Catholic School of Helsinki was held at St James’s Church in Lauttasaari. During the event, project coordinator Sara Numminen and class teacher Anna-Mária Lahdelma spoke about the school’s founding process, curriculum, and values. Interior architects Pablo Riquelme and Alexis Ramirez presented the design plans for the classrooms.
The Catholic School of Helsinki will begin its operations in August 2026. Children starting preschool or grades 1–3 in 2026 can already apply. The school will be free of charge, Finnish-speaking, and will follow the national and municipal curriculum with a Catholic emphasis. These include values such as love of neighbour, charity, and Catholic manners and culture as part of everyday school life. The aim is to meet each pupil as an individual, foster a positive learning atmosphere, and maintain close cooperation between school and home. Teaching will take place in a combined class under the guidance of a qualified teacher with the support of a classroom assistant. The target enrolment for the 2026 school year is 5–10 pupils.
The foundation documents for the new school have now been submitted to the Finnish Patent and Registration Office for approval. Once registered, the school will become an official institution and join, among others, the Association of Christian Schools and Kindergartens.
The next open information session about the Catholic school will be held in Lauttasaari on Wednesday, October 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. More details below.
Further information, the curriculum, and enrolment instructions can be found on the school’s website koulu.katolinen.fi. For additional inquiries, please contact project coordinator Sara Numminen (044 902 2447 / sara.numminen@katolinen.fi).
Anita Geritz-Zhuang
Open House Events at the Catholic School
The next open houses for the Catholic School of Helsinki will take place on Wednesday, October 29, from 5 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, in the school’s facilities on the second floor of St James the Apostle Church. At these events, future teacher Anna-Mária Lahdelma will present the school’s teaching plans, and project coordinator Sara Numminen will discuss administrative aspects of the project. Interior architects Pablo Riquelme and Alex Ramirez will showcase the school premises. Coffee will be served.
Please remember to follow the school project on the website koulu.katolinen.fi and on Instagram Helsingin katolinen koulu. We post regular updates and publish a monthly newsletter.
More information: Sara Numminen 044 902 2447
Warmly welcome!