Rovaniemi Parish

Cantor Tarja Alakörkkö-Perkkiö: What is your favorite Christmas carol? I remember from my childhood how the Greatest Christmas carols were sung in my home village. It was a festive atmosphere. Our district pastor Reijo and Mauri cantor arrived at my home school, the airs smelled of gingerbread and the singing rang. Since then, the words of several Christmas carols that are still popular have been memorized in my mind. Singing together promotes well-being. According to research, singing together relieves the symptoms of memory loss, treats mental health, lowers blood pressure. In addition, it is a community experience when we gather to sing together.  The national "Greatest Christmas Carols" campain has already been organized more than 50 times. At events, you can give the children of the world a gift that matters. Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (Felm) offers education, healt care and security to the most disadvantaged children in developing countries. In particular, the...

Pastor Aki Hätinen: Some time ago I went to see The Apprentice, a film directed by Ali Abbas. The film about Donald Trump's years as a young man has stirred people's thoughts into one direction or another, since it was released in the run-up to the presidential election and there was even an attempt to block the film from being shown in US cinemas. Abbas' film is not a statement for or against Trump's persona, but the film's central point of interest lies elsewhere. The young Trump wants to get out from under the shadow of his businessman father and create his own business empire. He is mentored by a thoroughly immoral lawyer, Roy Cohn, who teaches Trump a few truths about making it in life: 1) Always attack, 2) Admit nothing, deny everything, and 3) Never admit defeat, even if you lose. Does this sound familiar? When Cohn falls seriously ill and needs reciprocal help from the man he helped rise to the top of the business world, Trump turns his back on his mentor. T...

Rovaniemi Church is open from Monday to Friday @11:00-14:00 when priest is also available in the church. Wednesday services start @18:00. Sunday Masses start @10:00. Warmly Welcome! 

Autumn time in Rovaniemi Rovaniemi Church is open 11:00–13:00 from Monday to Friday when also priest is available. Wednesday services start @18:00 and Sunday Masses @10:00. The activities of the autumn season have started and two themes emerge from the calendar of the church year at the turn of August and September, which we should always remember and keep in mind: Neighbor With his life and teachings, Jesus was an example of God’s love, which transcends all boundaries. This role model obliges us to see in every person our neighbor. From Christ we also get the strength to do good deeds for our neighbors. Man himself is not always aware that when he does good, he acts as an intermediary for God’s love. Gratitude This saint speaks of gratitude and ingratitude. Jesus did good especially to people rejected by others. Of the people he helped, only a few came back to thank him and confess their faith in him. Others were bothered by the fact that Jesus did not act the way they wanted, but he...

Summer theologist Pyry Puurunen: Absolute freedom has become our most sacred value and any constraint on it the greatest of sins. What freedom means to us is removal of all restrictions. The less constraint on our desires, choices and actions, the freer we are. But such freedom doesn’t exist, it’s an illusion. Freedom experienced in real life is not so simple. If a fresh retiree wants to retain the freedom to move about independently for the next couple decades, they have to let go of some freedoms and commit to regular strength training. They choose to let go of the lesser freedom of being a couch potato to gain the greater freedom of living a longer and healthier life. So freedom is not simply life without restrictions, but finding the right kind of restrictions that create freedom. We decide to suffer lesser losses of freedom to gain greater freedom. Letting go of smaller freedoms in our lifestyle to reach a different kind of freedom is not the only area where this principle applies...

Summer theologist Anna Kinnunen: This Sunday’s theme is the law of love; “Jesus Christ came to fulfill God’s will and command, not to depose them. On that score christians are to follow the law of love.” The theme highlights at the same time the duty of a christian to follow the laws God has placed and Jesus’ position as an executor of God’s will.  The gospel text’s third volume (Luke 6:27–31) depicts a scene where Jesus addresses his Disciples and urges them to treat their neighbors with love and good will. People should follow Jesus’ example and go out of their way to love their enemies and tormentors. At the end of the gospel text Jesus notes; “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This ethical guideline is surely very familiar to several from different contexts. The golden rule is at the center of many different religions’ ethical beliefs. As humans it might be easier to think that we should just treat other people kindly and as equals. However, Jesus goes further tha...