Turku and Kaarina Parish Union

Turku and Kaarina Parish Union consists of the ten Evangelical Lutheran parishes of the Turku and Kaarina area.

The population of Turku and Kaarina Parish Union numbers 153.422 (Dec 31, 2006), which makes it the fourth biggest parish union of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland only after those of Helsinki, Espoo, and of Tampere.

What do we believe in? A compact account is provided by the internet pages of the Evangelical Lutheran church evl.fi .

Idea of functions in the Parish Union

The idea of activities of the Parish Union is based on the effective management of economy and functions.

Centralized management of finances, maintenance of house and landed property, care and maintenance of cemetaries and burial functions, data administration, and population registration are much more economical than it would be if carried out independently by each single member congregation. The Union also answers for the Cathedral museum, a specialty within the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The Union takes responsibility for such forms of congregational activities that require special skills and knowledge: information services, instruction, pastoral councelling, education, diaconia, and global mission and international diaconia.

From Cathedral congregation into a Parish Union

The predecessor of Turku and Kaarina Parish Union was Turku Evangelical Lutheran Congregations which came into existence in 1921. The Cathedral Congregation was divided into four: the parishes of Mikael (St Michael) and of Martti (St Martin) and the Swedish Parish, Åbo svenska församling, and the Cathedral Congregation. They shared economy and central administration and were called joint economy parishes. The name was still in use in the 1970ìs.

After the II World War, some additional land areas were annexed to the city of Turku, the result being that the parishes of Maaria (St Mary), of Kaarina, and of Kakskerta were incorporated into Turku Evangelical Lutheran parishes. The latest incorporation took place at the beginning of the 1970ìs, when Paattinen became part of the city of Turku and the parish of Paattinen one of Turku parishes.

In 1991, the then largest parish, that of Kaarina, was divided into two. Identical with the municipality of Kaarina, the parish of Kaarina started its work, whereas the part of the former parish that remained in Turku was named Katariina (St Catherine).

Thanks to the European Union, the operational entity comprising of ten parishes changed its name into Turku and Kaarina Parish Union.

The latest change was made in 2009, when the parish of Piikkiö joined the Parish Union.

Democracy as principle

Congregational elections are held every four years for the election of congregational boards in the member parishes and of the joint parish council for the Parish Union. The joint parish council, in its turn, appoints the joint church board, committees and boards. The joint parish council conducts and supervises the common congregational work.