On Saturday, September 14, 2013, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will be celebrated in the Medieval Church of the Holy Cross in Hattula. This year's pilgrimage takes place on the very day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as that is the date when in AD 324 Saint Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, found the True Cross in Jerusalem. The Exaltation of the Cross has been celebrated since the 5th century in the Eastern Church and since the 7th Century in the Western Church.

The pilgrimage begins with Mass at St Henry's Cathedral at 9 a.m. After the Mass, a bus will leave for Hattula from outside the Cathedral. You can also join the pilgrimage at the bus stop by St Mary's Church (the bus 18 stop).

The celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Hattula begins at noon. After participants have paid their respects to the cross and carried it around the church building, the local Lutheran parish of Hattula traditionally serves coffee to the pilgrims. We will be back in Helsinki after 3 p.m.

The return bus fare is €25. To sign up for the pilgrimage and ensure there is room for you in the bus, please contact the Catholic Information Centre by calling 09-6129470 or by e-mailing [email protected]

The pilgrimage is arranged by the Lay Dominicans and Academicum Catholicum.

The other Catholic parish in Helsinki, our sister parish St. Mary's Parish, has launched a new web site. For the time being, you'll find the new site at http://www.pyhamaria.fi/

Pope Francis calls for a worldwide Day of Prayer and Fasting for peace in Syria, in the Middle East and in the World. On Saturday, September 7, Catholics and Christians of other denominations as well as the faithful of other religions and those without religious faith, are called to pray for peace, the Pope said in his Angelus message on Sunday.

"I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity! 
On 7 September, in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world."


For the full text of the Pope's Angelus appeal for peace, click here.