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Marian awards from Finland

Finland had its great Marian center in the Brigidino monastery of Chained ("Valley of Grace"), and today the Catholic devotion is gathered in Santa Maria of Helsinki.

Finlandia

History of Marian devotion in Finland

Finland, a European country of Christian tradition, has a Marian history that reflects the vicissitudes of its national history. Devotion to the Virgin Mary has been a central element of popular piety, expressed in shrines, hermites and chapels that spatter its geography. Local Marian advocacy is a testimony to a faith that has accompanied the people through the centuries.

Although religious practice has decreased in the last decades, the Marian shrines of Finland remain places of pilgrimage and spiritual encounter. The Virgin Mary is venerated under various advocacy that reflect both the Latin tradition and the cultural influences of the country.

Marian awards from Finland

Our Lady of Helsinki

Party: 1 January · Place: Helsinki (Finland, Finnish) Type: Patrona de Helsinki

The Church of St. Mary of Helsinki (Pyhän Marian kirkko) is a Catholic parish of Latin rite, located in the district of Meilahti, in the capital of Finland.

"Our Lady of Helsinki, pray for us.

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Our Lady of Naantali

Place: Nantali (Finland, Finland)

The advocation of Our Lady of Naantali is linked to the former Brigidino monastery founded in Naantali (Nådendal), in the southwest of Finland, near Turku, during the 15th century.

"Our Lady of Naantali, pray for us.

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The Brigidine and Marian tradition in Finland

Finland, the land of the thousand lakes, has a deep Marian heritage dating back to the Middle Ages, when the country was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The spiritual center of this devotion was the Brigidino monastery of Naantali (from the Latin Vallis Gratiae, "Valley of Grace"), founded in 1443 by order of King Christopher of Bavaria. The monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to Saint Brigida, was an important center of pilgrimage and spiritual life until the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century. The pilgrims came to Naantali from all over Finland and Estonia to venerate a miraculous image of the Virgin known as "Our Lady of Naantali," who was said to be working healing and comfort. The name of the city itself, Naantali, is a translation of the Latin Vallis Gratiae, which means "Valley of Grace," in honor of the Virgin Mary as a mediator of divine grace.

Despite the Lutheran Reform that made Finland a mostly Lutheran country, the Marian Catholic devotion was strongly reborn in the 20th century thanks to immigration and the work of religious congregations. The Catholic Church in Finland, although small (approximately 15,000 faithful), is vibrant and diverse, with Finnish, Swedish, Polish, English and Arab speaking communities. The parish of Santa María de Helsinki, built in 1929, is the center of Finnish Catholicism. Every year, in the Solemnity of the Assumption (August 15), Finnish Catholics pilgrim to Naantali to celebrate Mass in the ruins of the former Brigidino monastery, keeping alive a tradition that goes back more than five hundred years.

Santa Maria de Turku

Party: 15 August · Place: My tour.

In Turku, the former capital of Finland and the seat of the medieval bishopric, the Lutheran Cathedral of Turku was originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to Saint Henry of Upsala, the patron saint of Finland. Although today it is a Lutheran temple, the Catholics of Turku celebrate an annual mass in the chapel of Saint Henry in the cathedral, in which an image of Saint Mary of Turku is venerated, a Gothic size of the 14th century that represents the Virgin enthroned with the Child Jesus. The image, which survived the Reformation because it was hidden by the faithful, is considered one of the most valuable works of sacred art in Finland and a testimony of the deep Marian devotion of the medieval Finnish people.

"St. Mary of Turku, pray for us."

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Virgin of the Rosary of Kuopio

Party: 7 October · Place: (Finland, Finland)

In Kuopio, the capital of the Savonia region in eastern Finland, the Catholic parish of San José houses an image of the Virgin of the Rosary which is especially venerated by the Catholic community of the region. The image was brought from Poland in the 1980s by Polish immigrants who settled in Finland. Every 7 October, the community meets to pray the Rosary in Finnish and Polish, followed by a candle procession around Lake Kallavesi, whose waters reflect the light of the candles in a ceremony that combines Marian spirituality with the natural beauty of the Finnish lakes.

"Virgin of the Rosary of Kuopio, pray for us.

Their story · Pray the Rosary

The Catholic community of Finland celebrates every year the "Night of Churches" (Yö kirkossa), an event in which churches remain open all night with cultural and spiritual activities. In the parish of Santa María de Helsinki, tonight includes the prayer of the Rosary in the light of the candles, Gregorian Marian songs and the exhibition of the image of Our Lady of Naantali. This event has attracted many non-Catholic Finns interested in Marian spirituality. The devotion to the Virgin Mary in Finland, although practiced by a minority, is valued even by the Lutherans as part of the spiritual heritage of the country.

The Catholic diocese of Helsinki, built in 1955, covers all of Finland. The present Bishop, Monsignor Raimo Goyarrola, is a Spanish bishop of Opus Dei who has promoted Marian devotion in the country. The Cathedral of San Enrique in Helsinki, although dedicated to the patron of Finland, has a Marian chapel where an image of Our Lady of Naantali is venerated. The feast of the Assumption (August 15) is celebrated with a solemn mass concelebrated by all the priests of the diocese in the cathedral, followed by a procession through the streets of the central Helsinki that ends in the port, where the waters of the Baltic Sea are blessed.