Our Parish’s Ecumenism
From its very foundation, the Parish of the Holy Family is oriented towards promoting Christian unity and, in a certain sense, it’s very existence is one of recent ecumenism’s first fruits. All liturgies celebrated in the parish are open, and one may participate even without intending to become Catholic. However, in the Catholic Church, we speak of different degrees of communion with the Church, which is particularly evident in the reception of the sacrament of Holy Communion. Therefore, Christians who are not in “full communion” with the Catholic Church can pray, listen to the Word of God, and receive spiritual guidance from our priests, but they may not yet receive Holy Communion at Mass. In our diocese, it is customary for those belonging to other Christian denominations to still approach the altar in the communion line and place their right hand on their chest to indicate to the priest that they cannot receive communion but would like to receive a blessing. You can obtain more detailed information by contacting us or participating in an introductory course.
Our parish participates in and hosts several ecumenical events. Some of these, such as the ecumenical Lenten seminar and ecumenical breakfasts, are aimed at church workers. However, Oulu has a particularly large number of ecumenical events intended for the entire People of God.
Ecumenical Services of the Word of God in Oulu
Since 1998, the Orthodox, Evangelical Lutheran, and Catholic Churches in Oulu have held a Service of the Word of God once a month. This is a liturgical celebration where we come together to listen to the Word of God within the framework of a solemn liturgy. The theme and readings for the service are chosen by a preparation team made of laypeople, who also prepare short introductions to the various readings and select appropriate hymns to be sung. Participation is open to all. You can also participate in the preparation team by contacting us in advance. You can find the dates for the ecumenical services in the schedule.