What is St. Thomas Mass?

The St. Thomas Mass is a Lutheran worship service, that has been influenced by ancient liturgical traditions of the Church as well as drawing upon modern expression of spirituality. It is named after the Apostle Thomas, who seemed to have thought deeply and often questioned matters of faith. In this spirit, we invite doubters and seekers, believers and non-believers  to celebrate and worship God together. Those in particular, who struggle with failure, who feel sinful and weak in their faith are especially welcome.

St. Thomas Mass is held on the last Sunday of the month at Alava parish church in Kuopio, commencing at 18:00 (6 pm).  Before the service, from 17:00 (5pm) you have a chance to chat over coffee or tea in Alava parish hall, adjacent to the church. The mass is prepared by a team of  up to 30-40 people, both pastors and lay people. The volunteer team is different each week.

Joy, music, consolation and good news to Sunday nights.

The first St. Thomas Mass was held in Helsinki in 1988. Since then, the concept of the Mass has spread throughout Finland. In Kuopio, the first St. Thomas Mass was held in 30.9.1990. Through these past 35 years the Mass has been attended by thousands of  people, both young and old. The mass has brought joy, music, consolation and good news to Sunday nights.

Joyful music and meditative prayer

Diverse, contemporary music is an intergral part of St. Thomas Mass. There is thus a lot of singing throughout the Mass, performed by the Thomas Choir and Orchestra. During the prayer time you can walk around the church and stop for silent meditation at the various prayer altars. You may write your prayer request and hand it to the servers standing by the altars; your requests will be prayed for during the week in St. Thomas Mass prayer groups. You may also pray together with one of the prayer assistants at the main altar and at the back of the church, and receive a blessing and anointment with oil. Or you can simply sit in your pew and meditate, or join in the singing.

All people are welcome to St. Thomas Mass, no one is excluded. The atmosphere is warm. We sing, pray, hear God’s Word and find a chance for quiet reflection and meditation, in preparation for the week ahead. Please, join us!