HELSINKI / HOUSTON—Finnish Catholic Bishop Raimo Goyarrola has spent the past fortnight criss-crossing parishes in Texas and the U.S. Midwest, making an unusual fundraising pitch: help a Nordic Church that is being transformed by immigration. In an interview published on 4 December 2025, Goyarrola told Catholic News Agency that Mass attendance and catechism enrolments in Finland have surged as new arrivals from Africa, Asia and Latin America swell the country’s tiny Catholic minority.
Official parish rolls list just 18,000 Catholics—about 0.2 % of Finland’s population—but church officials estimate the real figure at 35,000 once recently arrived work-permit holders, asylum-seekers and international students are included. Over the past five years, Helsinki’s St Henry’s Cathedral has gone from four Sunday Masses to eight, with worshippers standing in sub-zero queues for lack of space. The diocese says 125 nationalities are now represented, requiring liturgies in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Polish, Arabic and Swahili.
![Growing immigrant flock prompts Finland’s sole Catholic bishop to seek overseas support]()
The boom highlights a broader demographic trend: while net migration kept Finland’s population growing in 2024–25, religious affiliation patterns are diversifying rapidly. Experts at the Migration Institute of Finland note that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians and Muslims all rely heavily on first-generation immigrants for growth, whereas the historically dominant Lutheran Church reports record membership losses.
For global-mobility managers the story carries a practical twist. “Companies relocating non-EU staff often underestimate how vital community support networks—faith groups included—are for long-term retention,” says Emilia Karppinen of Nordic Relocation Partners. A local parish that can provide language-specific services, childcare contacts and informal mentoring can make or break a family’s integration experience.
Goyarrola hopes to raise €20 million to buy or build a larger cathedral and pastoral centre in Helsinki and to establish Finland’s first Catholic primary school, easing the logistical burden on immigrant families who currently travel long distances for religious instruction. The diocese also plans to expand its migrant-support office, which offers Finnish-language classes, housing advice and legal referrals. “Immigrants are revitalising our Church,” the bishop said. “Now we need the infrastructure to serve them—and, indirectly, to help Finland harness their talents.”
Official parish rolls list just 18,000 Catholics—about 0.2 % of Finland’s population—but church officials estimate the real figure at 35,000 once recently arrived work-permit holders, asylum-seekers and international students are included. Over the past five years, Helsinki’s St Henry’s Cathedral has gone from four Sunday Masses to eight, with worshippers standing in sub-zero queues for lack of space. The diocese says 125 nationalities are now represented, requiring liturgies in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Polish, Arabic and Swahili.
The boom highlights a broader demographic trend: while net migration kept Finland’s population growing in 2024–25, religious affiliation patterns are diversifying rapidly. Experts at the Migration Institute of Finland note that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians and Muslims all rely heavily on first-generation immigrants for growth, whereas the historically dominant Lutheran Church reports record membership losses.
For global-mobility managers the story carries a practical twist. “Companies relocating non-EU staff often underestimate how vital community support networks—faith groups included—are for long-term retention,” says Emilia Karppinen of Nordic Relocation Partners. A local parish that can provide language-specific services, childcare contacts and informal mentoring can make or break a family’s integration experience.
Goyarrola hopes to raise €20 million to buy or build a larger cathedral and pastoral centre in Helsinki and to establish Finland’s first Catholic primary school, easing the logistical burden on immigrant families who currently travel long distances for religious instruction. The diocese also plans to expand its migrant-support office, which offers Finnish-language classes, housing advice and legal referrals. “Immigrants are revitalising our Church,” the bishop said. “Now we need the infrastructure to serve them—and, indirectly, to help Finland harness their talents.”
