In the church of St Thomas, in Lund, Sweden, devotees can no longer get in, because “the Catholic community is growing fast”, the parish website states. So, it was essential to think of extending the existing church, and a committee was especially set up to work at and manage the project. The parish is led by the community of Dominican friars, who arrived in Lund in 1948. The existing church was unveiled in 1986. “Today, the congregation has 3,500 members and serves another 2,000 Catholics”, the parish priest, father Johan Lindén, explains. “A big group of active members consists of young people and families with children. On a normal Sunday, the church is visited by 600 to 800 people, and Mass is celebrated in a variety of languages, Swedish, Polish, Spanish, English, Ge’ez and Latin”.

 

The parish is “also a social centre, working with refugees and homeless people”, and “is growing fast because of conversions and newcomers”. As posted on the parish website, redesigned to launch the fund-raising campaign, the project should start in October 2018 and end in summer 2019. The expected 2.5 million euros required for the project will be paid by “community members and other charities”, such as the German Bonifatiuswerk. During the project, the website goes on, the devotees will probably attend one of the Lutheran churches in town.