- Feb 5, 2002
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Newly consecrated shepherd of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola Belda shares his hopes for the local church, discussing unity among Christians during his recent visit to Rome for the week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
ROME — The journey of Father Raimo Goyarrola Belda, a Spanish priest of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, to becoming the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki began almost 20 years ago.
As Bishop Goyarrola tells it, Bishop Józef Wróbel in 2005 invited many bishops, including Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, the prelate of Opus Dei, to Helsinki for the anniversary of the diocese.
“After the Holy Mass, there was a lunch in the bishop’s house, during which the bishop asked the prelate of Opus Dei: ‘Please send me one priest,’” the new bishop, 54, recalled. “And I don’t know why, but he thought of me.”
Although he had been hesitant at first to send any of his priests, the prelate of Opus Dei eventually called Father Goyarrola to ask him whether he would consider moving to Finland.
“I answered very fast: ‘Yes; yes!’” Bishop Goyarrola recounted. Even though the prelate of Opus Dei told the young priest to pray and think about his decision, since moving to Finland not only meant moving to another country but also getting accustomed to “another culture and another language,” Bishop Goyarrola explained that he knew it was God’s will: “I was ready to go to Finland.”
The Opus Dei priest, in his 30s, arrived in Finland in 2006, where he began his pastoral work as a university chaplain, military chaplain and religion teacher in public schools. In addition to administering the sacraments in Finnish parishes, Father Goyarrola was also entrusted with the particular mission of serving the Spanish-speaking community in Finland. In 2011, he was appointed Helsinki’s diocesan vicar general.
Continued below.
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ROME — The journey of Father Raimo Goyarrola Belda, a Spanish priest of the personal prelature of Opus Dei, to becoming the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki began almost 20 years ago.
As Bishop Goyarrola tells it, Bishop Józef Wróbel in 2005 invited many bishops, including Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, the prelate of Opus Dei, to Helsinki for the anniversary of the diocese.
“After the Holy Mass, there was a lunch in the bishop’s house, during which the bishop asked the prelate of Opus Dei: ‘Please send me one priest,’” the new bishop, 54, recalled. “And I don’t know why, but he thought of me.”
Although he had been hesitant at first to send any of his priests, the prelate of Opus Dei eventually called Father Goyarrola to ask him whether he would consider moving to Finland.
“I answered very fast: ‘Yes; yes!’” Bishop Goyarrola recounted. Even though the prelate of Opus Dei told the young priest to pray and think about his decision, since moving to Finland not only meant moving to another country but also getting accustomed to “another culture and another language,” Bishop Goyarrola explained that he knew it was God’s will: “I was ready to go to Finland.”
The Opus Dei priest, in his 30s, arrived in Finland in 2006, where he began his pastoral work as a university chaplain, military chaplain and religion teacher in public schools. In addition to administering the sacraments in Finnish parishes, Father Goyarrola was also entrusted with the particular mission of serving the Spanish-speaking community in Finland. In 2011, he was appointed Helsinki’s diocesan vicar general.
Continued below.
New Bishop of Finland: Unity Among Christians ‘Is Key for Peace in the World’
Newly consecrated shepherd of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola Belda shares his hopes for the local church, discussing unity among Christians during his recent visit to Rome for the week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
