FEATURED IN FIDES 4/23
New Phone Number for Catholic Information Centre
The phone number of the Catholic Information Centre has changed. The new number is 045-7837 1087. This number is shared by all employees of the Information Centre.
The Catholic Information Centre, which is located in the basement behind St. Henry’s Cathedral, is an office which houses both the Diocesan Communications Department, the Publishing Department, as well as the Catholic Bookstore.
St. Henry’s Pilgrimage to Köyliö
St. Henry’s Pilgrimage to Köyliö by foot June 16-18, 2023:
Friday 16.6.
16:00 bus from Turku to Yläne, where pilgrims will overnight on the floor of the community building.
It is also possible to arrive by car before the meal and meeting in Yläne, which start at 18:00. .
Saturday 17.6.
After Mass, pilgrims will walk from Yläne to Kankaanpää, where they will spend the night at Lalli School.
Sunday 18.6.
Walking from Kankaanpää to Köyliö Kirkkokari isle.
13:00 Holy Mass on the isle.
Ca. 15:00 busses leave for Helsinki and Turku.
Price for food and board: 50 €. Bus fare not included.
To register, please contact Fr. Anders Hamberg by May 31: ahamberg(at)katolinen.fi
Pope in the Hospital before Easter, Returns in Time to Celebrate Easter Vigil and Deliver Easter Message and Blessing
Over 50 000 Christians Killed in Nigeria in the Past 14 Years
According to the report “Martyred Christians in Nigeria” issued by Intersociety, over the past 14 years at least 52,250 Nigerian Christians have been brutally murdered at the hands of Islamist militants.
The Right to Vote Increased in the Synod
The Secretariat for the Synod has announced that 70 “non-bishop members” appointed by the Pope—half of whom will be women—will be able to vote at the Synod General Assembly in October.
The Nordic Bishops Conference Releases Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality
The letter can be found here in English: https://katolinen.fi/ktlnnf-wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NBK-Pastoral-Letter-Lent-2023-EN.pdf
For other languages, see the links on the bottom of this page: https://www.nordicbishopsconference.org/nyhed/hirtenbrief-ueber-die-menschliche-sexualitaet
New Organization Uniting Catholics Working in the Fields of Health Care and Social Services
A new organization for Catholic professionals in the fields of health care and social welfare services called KatSote was founded December last year. Its aims are to increase networking, provide support, and assist those whose job it is to serve others. Among other tasks, it also will defend Catholic teaching, especially in questions of bioethics, social welfare services, and health care.
Website of the organization in Finnish: https://katsote.fi/.
Pope’s Prayer Intentions for 2023
May
For church movements and groups
We pray that Church movements and groups may rediscover their mission of evangelization each day, placing their own charisms at the service of needs in the world.
June
For the abolition of torture
We pray that the international community may commit in a concrete way to ensuring the abolition of torture and guarantee support to victims and their families.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2023
A Saint for Our Times – Helper and Comforter of the Weak and the Oppressed
A discussion has been started in Fides about whether there are saintly people also in the Catholic Church in Finland, who could possibly be declared blessed or even saint. In my opinion, we have such a person in the departed exorcist Fr. Guy Barbier.
Fr. Guy always worked helping and comforting the weak, the oppressed, and the forgotten. In his youth he suffered at a German concentration camp. After his priestly ordination he was a priest for the workers in France. After moving to Finland, he worked with and helped the marginalized people living in the streets for many years. Later he assisted the weak and forgotten both in Ukraine and Estonia. During the last years of his life, he was the exorcist and a much loved confessor in our Church.
The Fr. Guy I knew was always humble and wise in his speech. He always selflessly helped others. For many years, he offered Masses at the Ecumenical Centre in Myllyjärvi.
In my opinion, Fr. Guy had a close relationship with God. I think he was a holy person, whose holiness should be officially investigated, so that our local Church would finally have a saint from our recent era.
Jan-Peter Paul
Development of Income from Membership Raises Concern
Prices and energy costs have increased, which has raised the costs of parishes and the Diocese to a new level. At the same time income from membership (membership fees, collections at Masses and donations) has fallen.
Were this development to continue, the amount of income from members will be much lower than before, and what was estimated in the budget. Membership fees collected in the first three months of this year were already ca. 50 000 less than those of last year. Luckily, collections have increased. The total amount of income from members may, however, remain at less than 80 000 euros, which is almost 200 000 euros less than in year 2019.
This decrease would cause definite financial problems to the economy of our local Church.
It looks as if the first membership fee letters of the year will arrive at homes in May. We hope that the member of our local Church will support their parishes and the functions of the Diocese with more generous donations and by paying the membership fee regularly. Thanks to everyone!
Financial Office of the Diocese/Catholic Information Centre
