The opening of the first Catholic school in Finland will mark a milestone for the ecclesial life of the country. The educational center is scheduled for August 2026 in the Lauttasaari neighborhood, in Helsinki, and is set in the context of a numerically minority but growing Catholic Church, as reported by Tribune Chrétienne.
With about 20,000 Catholic faithful in a population of 5.5 million inhabitants, the Finnish Catholic Church is organized into a single diocese—Helsinki—that covers the entire country and has eight parishes spread over a territory almost as extensive as Germany.
An educational project integrated into the national system
The future school will initially accommodate a reduced number of students, from early childhood education to primary, organized in multi-level classes. The center will follow the official programs of Finnish basic education and use pedagogical materials approved by the country’s educational authorities.
The school will be open to all, without distinction of religion or convictions. Religious education will be taught in accordance with current legislation: in the student’s denomination or, alternatively, as civic education. The Catholic identity will be expressed mainly through the educational climate, the transmission of Christian values, community life, and the celebration of the main feasts of the liturgical calendar.
Historical context of Catholicism in Finland
To understand the scope of this initiative, it is necessary to place it in the history of Catholicism in Finland. Present in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church almost completely disappeared in the 16th century after the Protestant Reformation, when the territory, then under Swedish rule, adopted Lutheranism.
It was not until the 19th century, during the period of Russian rule, that Catholicism was tolerated again, initially for foreigners and later also for the local population. In recent decades, the Catholic community has experienced sustained growth, mainly linked to immigration, with estimated rates between 2 and 5% annually.
A pastoral and educational challenge
Until now, Catholic families in Finland lacked any confessional school structure and relied almost exclusively on parish catechesis for the transmission of faith. The creation of a school, although of modest dimensions, represents a significant step, not as an option for identity withdrawal, but as a contribution to the national educational system.
The role of the Bishop of Helsinki
The initiative is developing under the episcopate of Monsignor Raimo Goyarrola Belda, a Spanish priest and member of the Opus Dei prelature and Catholic bishop of Helsinki since September 2023. At the head of the country’s only diocese, he assumes all pastoral and institutional responsibilities of the Catholic Church in Finland.
In the absence of a national episcopal conference and cardinals, the Bishop of Helsinki acts as a direct interlocutor with civil authorities, other Christian denominations, and the Holy See. Present in the country since 2006, Monsignor Goyarrola has performed various pastoral and educational tasks, which has allowed him to acquire a deep knowledge of the Finnish school system.
A discreet but stable presence
In a predominantly Lutheran and deeply secularized society, the opening of the first Catholic school does not alter the country’s religious balance. However, it constitutes a sign of the Catholic Church’s will to root itself stably in Finland, transmitting its values and participating, within the legal framework, in the educational and social life of the country.