What do we need this Katolinen.net site for? So far we've had a couple of dozen replies to our Survey, with answers coming in from several parishes but with most from the Helsinki metropolitan area. On the basis of the replies we’ve had, other people are looking for the same thing I am. They – and I – want to see improvements in how our parishes cooperate with each other and how information flows in the Diocese. 

There are requests for reports on what is happening in the parishes. Even small events are worth sharing, people feel. Any and all activities that will improve chances of information reaching people are deemed welcome. Among the things requested is a clear-cut events calendar and more photos.

People have also asked for texts that provide sustenance for their spiritual life, for different expressions of the Catholic faith in everyday life. Theology is valuable, but people would also love to see interviews that give a frank view of what it is like to live as a Catholic in Finland. Stories of conversion and memories of how things used to be in the diocese decades ago are also on the 'shopping list’ for this site.

There are expectations of what the site could offer in the way of information. Among the requested subjects are the history of the Catholic Church in Finland; saints that have a special place in Finnish history; sites that have a connection to the Church; but also information about the Saint’s Days that are celebrated particularly within a certain community or group, as well as information about the groups that are active in the Church in Finland today. 

One of the first things we did once we had the site up and running was to set up a Survey page to find out what we should be doing with this site. One of the many answers asked us some pertinent questions:

'Is the point of the Katolinen.net site to focus on the Catholic Diocese in Finland, on Catholics in Finland and future Catholics as well as what happens in Finland, in three languages? Or is your purpose to present the voice of the global Catholic Church for Finns? I'm not quite clear what your mission is.'