Rovaniemi Parish Magazine October 2020 English Summary

The election day for Rovaniemi’s parish vicar election 

Is November 8, 2020 and voting starts in the Rovaniemi church after the 10 AM mass and will continue until 8 PM. Anyone who has joined the Rovaniemi parish by August 30, 2020 and has turned 18 years of age at latest by the election day can vote. 

The candidates are: 

Hanna Kuusela

Candidate number 1 Hanna Kuusela, the parish vicar of the Sodankylä parish and the dean of the Lapland deanery. “My professional career has lasted a bit over 22 years, starting from the summer of 1998. I have worked in Sodankylä for my whole career until now.” 

Tuomo Törmänen

Candidate number 2 Tuomo Törmänen, the parish vicar of the Taivalkoski parish and dean of the Koillismaa deanery. “I am Finland’s youngest parish vicar at 35 years of age. In addition to being a parish vicar, I research church history and I am a father and husband. I have been a priest since June 2009, but since then I have also sometimes worked on my research. I was a pastor in the Kuusamo parish for four years and I have been the parish vicar in Taivalkoski for the past six years. Before becoming a priest, I have worked in different parts of Finland in many different parishes as a theologian for the summer, and of course in my home parish I have worked in many roles in youth work.” 

Ilari Kinnunen

Candidate number 3 Ilari Kinnunen is originally from the Oulu region. “I have worked in Rovaniemi as a priest for over 17 years already. Currently I work as the chaplain for the Korkalovaara-Ounasjoki region.”

The communion of saints

In Finland this year All Saints’ Day is celebrated on October 31 and it is a combination of All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated on November 1 (Festum omnium sanctorum) and All Souls’ Day, which is celebrated on November 2 (Commemoratio omnium fidelium defunctorum). We remember all the Christian martyrs as well as all others who have died believing in Christ. The word “saint” however does not only refer to the dead. Everyone is holy in Christ. Because we believe, each of us is a part of the unseen communion of saints. The traditional Gospel reading for the day is the Beatitudes from the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Valtteri, Saana and Helena Lehti: Celebrating their first Fathers’ Day together!

Valtteri, Helena and Saana Lehti.

The young couple Lehti moved from Jyväskylä to Rovaniemi a bit over a year ago, and Rovaniemi became the birthplace of their daughter Saana. The translator for the Pääsky parish magazine, mother Helena Lehti comes from Espoo and has spent her childhood in North Holland. The father of the family, Valtteri Lehti, comes from Tuusula. The couple have met in Muonio, Lapland at a skiing camp organised by Kylväjä.

Helena and Valtteri Lehti have become active members in the Rovaniemi parish, because they found out about OMA masses from their old parish in Jyväskylä.

Greetings from the Single-parent Families Association!

Markku Iso-Heiko

The Single-parent Families Association (Yhden Vanhemman Perheiden Liitto [YVPL]) is an association which improves the social, financial, and legal status of single parents and their children, and affects legislation and attitudes.

“We provide peer support, whether you are a single-parent or are co-parenting. Parenthood does not end even if family dynamics change”, says Markku Iso-Heiko.

The best thing about the association’s activities are the peer support and intimacy.

“And that we do this from the point of view of the people. When the families take part in the local associations and the board members are chosen from these participants, the activities come straight from the field. The expertise comes directly from the families. Cooperation partners and networks are also important, because this allows us to do things better and we can achieve more together.”

The ideal situation in Finnish society and in Lapland

“For single-parent families it would be important for employment to be realised better, thus improving the financial situation of families. Many factors affect this, such as day-care and flexibility at work – combining family and working life.”

Lack of adult instructors at the Scouts

Reeta Peiponen, Antti Pehkonen, Ante Rautiainen.

There are many youths and children coming into the Scouts, but at the moment there is a shortage of adults as instructors.

“There are already queues of 15 children, and more Scouts would be interested. For us to be able to provide more activities we need adult instructors, meaning mothers and fathers to be involved. This is weekly activity run by volunteers, and participation only takes a couple of hours a week”, explains Rovaniemi parish’s Scout work leader Antti Pehkonen.

Ante Rautiainen, the vice president of the Arctic Circle Boy Scouts, Reeta Peiponen, the president of the Arctic Circle Girl Scouts and Antti Pehkonen, the Scout work leader for the Rovaniemi parish, welcome mothers and fathers as instructors for Scouts. The proceeds from the Christmas calendars sold by the Scouts are fully directed towards the Scouts.

A small, but active Lutheran church in Western Asia

Hanna has been working as a missionary for the Rovaniemi parish in Western Asia since 2014. Her work will end at the end of this year.

“It was a long road to become a missionary. One big factor in me taking the plunge was the Rovaniemi parish. I participated in parish activities already as a student in Rovaniemi. Back then we went on a short missionary trip to Russia. That made the idea of becoming a missionary more prominent through the years. After working for a couple of years, I decided to go.”

The local Lutheran church in Western Asia acts as a small minority, surrounded by an Islamic society. The Lutheran church is restricted in some activities, but the church is public. This autumn, the first local priest was ordained in the Lutheran church. The priest has been baptised only four years ago.