At a time when Greenland is very much in the media spotlight, Aleteia spoke to someone who knows the Greenlanders well: their parish priest.
Greenland has only about 57,000 inhabitants, of whom only a handful are Catholic. The only Catholic parish — in the capital city of Nuuk — is run by Father Tomaž Majcen, a Franciscan who is also a missionary in Denmark. He spends three weeks at a time in Greenland several times a year. Other priests also visit the local Catholics, so that at least one Catholic priest is available to the community most of the time.
A native Slovenian, he shared with the Slovenian edition of Aleteia his interesting experiences of Greenland, Denmark, and their inhabitants, and invites us to pray for peace and to take care of our vulnerable natural environment.
How did you end up in Denmark and Greenland? Did you want to be a missionary before?
Father Tomaž: You know, Greenland wasn’t exactly on my wish list! When my superiors asked me if I would go to Denmark, I imagined Copenhagen, a beautiful old city, culture … I really didn’t expect Greenland!
In 2023, I became the parish priest of Christ the King Parish in Nuuk. It’s quite something … The largest island in the world has only one Catholic parish! And I, a little Slovenian, became its parish priest. This is God’s work, not mine.
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With thanks to Aleteia and Urška Leskovšek, where this article originally appeared.
