ROME — The journey of Father Raimo Goyalola Berda, a Spanish priest of Opus Dei Personal Priest, to become the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki began almost 20 years ago.
Bishop Goyalola said that in 2005, Bishop Józef Lobel invited a number of bishops, including Opus Dei prelate Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, to Helsinki for the diocese’s anniversary.
“After Holy Mass, there was a lunch at the bishop’s house, during which the bishop asked the prelate of Opus Dei, “Please send a priest,” the 54-year-old new bishop recalled. “And I don’t know why, but he thought of me.”
Although initially reluctant to send a priest, the Opus Dei prelate eventually called Father Goyalola and asked if he would consider moving to Finland.
“I immediately answered, ‘Yes. Yes!'” Bishop Goyalola said. The Opus Dei prelate told the young priest to pray and think about his decision, but moving to Finland means not only moving to another country, but also being exposed to “another culture and another language.” Bishop Goyalola explained that he understands that because it also means getting used to “. It was God’s will. “I was ready to go to Finland.”
The Opus Dei priest, who is in his 30s, arrived in Finland in 2006 and began his ministry as a university chaplain, military chaplain, and public school religion teacher. In addition to administering the sacraments in Finnish dioceses, Father Goyalola was also entrusted with the special mission of serving Finland’s Spanish-speaking community. He was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Helsinki in 2011.
“Ecumenical Feast”
On September 29, 2023, during a Mass celebrated at St. Henry’s Cathedral in Helsinki, Archbishop Julio Murat, Apostolic Nuncio to the Nordic Countries, announced that Father Goyalola has been appointed the new Bishop of Helsinki. . Then, on November 25, Father Goyalola was appointed bishop of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Helsinki (known locally as the Lutheran Church). johaneksenkirko). Thanks to the Ecumenical Dialogue in Finland, the Diocese of Helsinki has been granted permission to use Lutheran and Orthodox church buildings in 25 cities across the country for Catholic services.
“Our cathedral in Helsinki is very small,” Bishop Goyalola said. “There’s probably seating for about 200 people, but the Lutheran church has seating for maybe 200 people. Johannes Kiruko, It has seating for over 2,000 people. ”
Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm presided over the ordination ceremony, which was attended by a number of ecumenical representatives.
“More than 2,000 people attended my consecration,” the bishop recalled. “It was amazing; it was truly an ecumenical celebration. Of course there were a lot of Catholics, but there were also a lot of Lutherans, Pentecostals, Orthodox, Methodists, Anglicans. It was like a council of the church. It was like!”
The ordination ceremony was attended by Benedictine Father Augustinus Sander, an official of the Bishop’s Office for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and a special address was given by Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Bishop’s Office. Sharing the joy not only of the Finnish Catholic Church but also of the entire Finnish ecumenical contingent, Cardinal Koch encouraged the new Bishop of Helsinki’s service to unity and said: “True Catholics have a heartbeat for ecumenism.”
Recalling the many blessings that the Finnish Church has received from its ecumenical efforts, Bishop Goyalola asserted: “I think ecumenism is the key to world peace. In fact, I think the present and future of the world depends on this unity among Christians.”
christian Unity since the Reformation
The bishop explained that despite the growing number of denominations across the country, unity among Christians is not alien to Finland’s history and culture.
“During the first four centuries, [after its Christianization]Finland was Catholic,” Bishop Goyalola emphasized, noting that at that time Finland was part of Sweden.
“Then there was a religious reform. But it was a political reform, so to speak,” Bishop Goyalola argued. In fact, when King Gustav Vasa of Sweden, which at the time included Finland, broke away from the Catholic Church in 1527 and violently established Lutheranism as the state religion, historians believe that it was not so much his religious beliefs. argues that it was also important. The goal was to free Sweden from foreign economic and political interests, such as the Kalmar Union with Denmark, the Hanseatic League of Lübeck, and the Catholic Church in Rome.
Because of the secular and political nature of the Reformation, “Finland remained very Catholic even after the Reformation,” the bishop continued, noting that even decades after the Reformation, there was still a strong sense of Catholicism among Finns. He explained how he still had a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary and various saints. Eucharistic adoration will be held in churches across the country.
For this reason, Bishop Goyalola explained: “There was and still is a fine line between the Lutheran Church in Finland and the Catholic Church. In fact, I think the Lutheran Church in Finland is the closest Lutheran Church to the Catholic Church in the whole world.”
“We are very close both in theology and liturgy, but also in heart and mind,” the bishop said.
A small but growing church
Comparing the area of Finland with that of Italy, Finland’s new bishop pointed out that Italy currently has 225 dioceses and archdioceses, while Finland only has one diocese. Moreover, in contrast to 25,000 parishes spread throughout Italy, Finland has only “eight parishes and 25 priests.”
Bishop Goyalola explained, “It’s a very large country and there are many Catholics all over the country, so we travel a lot by car and train.”
On Sundays, each priest may have to offer three or four Masses in churches sometimes up to 125 miles away, he said.
Officially, there are approximately 18,000 Catholics in Finland, representing 0.3% of the population. Bishop Goyalola emphasized that although small in number, the Catholic Church in Finland is a “growing church.” “Every year, [the Church welcomes] Between 500 and 600 people become new Catholics through baptism or immigration. ”
Like the Church in other Nordic countries, the Catholic Church in Finland is an “immigrant church”. Only half of registered Catholics were born in Finland.
“That’s just Catholic.” Because there are more than 115 nationalities in the Church,” the bishop added. “The key is to understand that Catholicism is one,” he added, adding that although Finnish Catholics are very different, they are united in Christ and because of Christ. He explained that it has become. “For this reason, the Catholic Church in Finland is truly Catholic. One.”
In the end, the bishop pointed out, where we come from is not as important as where we are going. “We all want to go to heaven. And it also unites us.”
“Preach the Gospel with your life”
Reflecting on the challenges of evangelization in a large country with such a diverse Catholic population and so few priests, Bishop Goyalola said that everyone, regardless of their life status or occupation, is called to preach the Gospel. He pointed out that there was.
“It’s our testimony, our testimony of our faith, our friendships with friends, our love, our advice to those who need it, our prayers for them, our conversations about God, family, and life.” said the new bishop. , that we can share the gospel with today’s society.
Being the only Catholic in school or work may be a harsh reality for many, but it is also an opportunity to “preach the Gospel with your life, hope, and joy, just as the first Christians did.” ” Bishop Goyalola said.
The bishop compared the Church’s evangelization efforts in Finland to the efforts of the first Christians who bore witness to Christ along with their faithful lives, saying, “In a sense, all Christians belong to the body of Christ, so All Christians are the church,” he added. Therefore, “all Christians are called to the evangelization.”
“And in Finland,” continued the bishop, “there we are very few.” [Catholics]Evangelism is very important. Because if you don’t risk your life to preach the gospel, there is no one else who will do it for you. ”
Problems to be solved and dreams to be realized
“I always say I have two very long lists at my table,” Bishop Goyalola said. “One list is a list of problems and challenges, and it is very long. But to my right is a list of dreams, which is longer than the list of problems.”
Among his many hopes for the Church in Finland, the new bishop mentioned not only the vocation to the priesthood and religious life, but also the sacrament of holy matrimony.
“When we talk about vocations, we often think only of the priesthood,” the bishop said. “But a faithful marriage is just as important. A faithful marriage produces children, and with children comes careers.”
Nursing homes for the elderly, palliative care wards for the sick, Catholic schools and summer camps for children are also high on the bishop’s dream list.
“We must pray and work together to make those dreams a reality,” the bishop enthused.
Finnish Catholics are “a people who are faithful to the Gospel and faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ,” the bishop added. “And with integrity, you can change the world no matter where you are.”
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