“What are you going to do in Greenland?” “Do people live there?” This was how some people first reacted when they heard I was making a fraternal visit to Greenland on August 14-23, 2024.
Not only do human beings live there―there are about 56,000 of them on what is the largest island in the world―but there are even some small Catholic communities. Moreover, the vast majority of the members of those communities are from the Philippines. The largest Catholic community is in the capital city of Nuuk, where around two hundred faithful gather each Sunday at Christ the King Parish Church. Our friars are entrusted with the care of this parish community.
One of our friars from Copenhagen, Denmark, Friar Tomaž MAJCEN, was appointed the Pastor of Nuuk in the summer of 2023. He visits Nuuk few times during the year, but the best thing is that, along with some priests from Denmark, he makes sure the Mass is celebrated for the faithful every Sunday.
During my fraternal visit, I experienced firsthand how happy the Catholic community is to have access to the sacraments and the weekly Mass. On Sunday, August 18, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary together. Afterwards, we shared some convivial time together.
There are a few other small groups of Catholics on the island who do not have their own church. Occasionally, a priest visits a small Catholic flock in the town of Ilulissat. It’s a two-hour flight north from Nuuk. On those occasions, the faithful gather in their own homes and thus, they have an experience similar to that of the early Christians.
These small Catholic communities carry the legacy of a long tradition; the Gospel first came to this island as early as the Middle Ages. This was followed by the erection of the Diocese of Garðar in 1126. After many historical ups and downs, ecclesiastically, Greenland today belongs to the Diocese of Copenhagen.
Our Order, therefore, is discovering new and unusual places for evangelization. Who would have thought that our friars could pray, paraphrasing St. Francis Xavier, “Lord, send me wherever you want, maybe even to Greenland!”
Friar Igor SALMIČ
