Church in Europe
“Since our catechetical courses are in three languages – Icelandic, English and Polish -, we are preparing an online library in each language for parents and guardians who live in areas where catechetical classes are not provided to be able to gain easy access” to catechetical material. Life is not easy in the small Catholic community in Iceland. In the land of ice and volcanoes, “registered” Catholics are 12,000 out of a population of slightly over 300,000. The Church on the island – the Diocese of Reykjavík with seven parishes – has launched an online consultation via Facebook to “gather information about the current state of our parishes”. “Your answers – the introduction to the survey reads – will guide our steps as we develop a pastoral plan for the Diocese”. The anonymous questionnaire, with 60 online questions in Icelandic, English and Polish, aims to provide a snapshot of the situation of those who attend parishes, their level of involvement and participation, their expectations about the priests of the community, and their willingness to play an active role. Ivan Sovic, who has been serving as pastoral assistant to the Bishop for some months now, has given an overall view of the community, its engagement and future perspectives in an interview with SIR news agency. “For the very first time, the Diocese of Reykjavik is planning and programming its mission”. “At present – he said –, we are trying to engage as many parishioners as possible, for their participation in the survey is key for us to gain a full picture of the current situation”. The situation of the Catholic Church in Iceland is similar to that of neighbouring Nordic countries, which all belong to one Bishops’ Conference. Catholics in Iceland are “scattered throughout the country in the seven parishes: sometimes, they are hundreds of kilometres away from the churches and can go to Mass only once a month. Priests are thus forced to travel to serve the whole island”, Mr Sovic explained.
