Martti Savijoki, SCJ, of Pentecostal background, was ordained to the priesthood at St. Mary's Church in Helsinki on Saturday, June 11, 2022.
Martti Savijoki, SCJ was ordained a priest at St. Mary’s Church in Helsinki on Saturday, June 11. His long vocational search led him to choose the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ), which has a long history in Finland. Savijoki, who joined the Catholic Church in 2003, studied theology in Freiburg, Germany, and was ordained by another Finnish confrere of the same congregation, Bishop Emeritus Teemu Sippo SCJ. The ordination was also attended by representatives of the congregation from Germany and Rome.
After the Mass, Savijoki expressed his gratitude to God, but also to his parents of Pentecostal faith, from whom he received the foundation of his faith. According to Savijoki, Catholics and Pentecostals are “more united than divided: we serve the same Lord and seek his will in our lives.” After the ordination mass was celebrated, the celebration continued at Seurasaaren Kruunussa, an island near Helsinki, where speeches and musical performances were held.
After a two-decade hiatus, the Catholic Church in Finland once again has a “Father Martti.” Father Martti Savijoki will return to Germany for another six months, but in early 2023 he will arrive to serve St. Mary’s parish in Helsinki.
Bishop Teemu Sippo addressed the following words of exhortation to Martti Savijoki during the Mass, “Share therefore with everyone the word of God that you have received. See to it that what you read you believe, what you believe you teach, what you teach you also put into practice in your life.”
