St Thomas Mass: Ancient, Post-modern Worship

by Rev. John P. Wesley

It still felt more like a dream than reality as I settled into my seat and prepared for takeoff. My wife and I were a month into a three month Sabbatical. Thanks to a grant from the Louisville Institute, we were spending five weeks abroad, experiencing worship in a variety of settings. After twenty-two years of being the minister responsible for leading worship, I felt blessed to have three months in which to sit in the pew and think about how people experience God in corporate worship.

As the jet took off, I watched London grow smaller. As the land mass began to disappear below, I turned my attention toward Helsinki , Finland , our destination. I must admit that Helsinki wasn't even on my radar screen as a place to visit until I began researching my sabbatical. All I knew of Finland had to do with Lapland and reindeer. But as I got comfortable aboard this Fin Air flight, I could hardly wait to see, hear, experience and learn all I could about a worship service called the St. Thomas Mass held every Sunday evening at the Agricola Church in Helsinki .

As we gained altitude I thought back over the last year and a half. In preparing for my Sabbatical I'd met with Dr. Lester Ruth, Associate Professor of Worship and Liturgy at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore , KY. While presenting a paper at Oxford during the summer of 2002, he had heard of the St. Thomas Mass, a European model for postmodern worship. Dr. Holger Eschmann, a Lutheran pastor and teacher from Reutlingen , Germany , made a presentation in which he claimed this worship service was having a significant impact on worship in northern Europe . I contacted Dr. Eschmann and he had provided a copy of the presentation he had made at the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies in 2002. He indicated the St. Thomas mass, designed for sinners and doubters, was intended to reach people weary of traditional church worship. He said the worship service was often an ecumenical effort in the communities where it was held. I indicated interest in attending a service and he told me, if I was interested in learning about the St. Thomas Mass, I needed to go to Finland . "That is where it all began," he said.

That had led to correspondence with several people in Helsinki who were active in the St. Thomas Mass community. With their counsel I decided to include a trip to Helsinki on my sabbatical itinerary. I wanted to participate in the service and wanted to learn as much as I could about it.

As we prepared for landing in Helsinki , I wasn't sure how the next three days would play out. I knew that one person was going to meet with me on Saturday. Beyond that, I wasn't sure what my wife and I would experience.

We took a bus to downtown, and then, after walking a couple of blocks, we found ourselves at the hotel where we had reservations. It was only a block from the Lutheran Cathedral where the St. Thomas Mass was being held while their regular meeting place, the Agricola Church , was undergoing remodeling.

We played the part of tourists that evening, walking down to the waterfront, enjoying the clear, cool air. My wife and I had a great meal of fresh salmon, and went back to our rooms waiting for darkness to fall. By midnight, I gave up on the possibility that it would get dark and went to bed. When I woke up around four in the morning, it was already daylight. I'm sure it got dark sometime during the night, but I didn't witness it.

We were pleased to find so many people speaking English in Helsinki , since we had no knowledge of Finnish. Their language has little similarity to English. Agricola is created with developing their written language in the sixteenth century, in part to provide a means for translating the scriptures into a modern vernacular. We quickly learned the word kiittos, so we could thank all the people who so graciously met our needs for food and directions.

Saturday afternoon Leena, a layperson with whom I'd been corresponding by e-mail for several months, picked us up at our hotel, and along with a friend, took us to a café that overlooked the Bay of Finland . Over coffee and tea, she told us about her involvement in the St. Thomas Mass. She had been baptized into the church, but since college had not been active. She was a professional and was busy with other priorities. But in 1996 she had gone through a marriage breakup. It had been a very painful experience and had left her searching for something with permanence in her life. After hearing about the St. Thomas Mass she attended one Sunday evening. The service did not answer all her questions, but drew her into a mystery that brought peace and a feeling of wholeness. It was to be the beginning of a new quest in her life. She soon became involved in one of the teams that planned some services and as a new leader she was encouraged to attend a spiritual retreat. The St. Thomas Mass Community opened her up to new vistas of faith and spiritual formation. Over the last eight years she had traveled to religious communities in France , Switzerland and Australia . She now serves in a voluntary capacity as director of silent retreats for the St. Thomas Mass community.

That evening we were taken to an Evening Bells service at a small church in Helsinki . It was a beautiful, quiet service filled with beautiful music and opportunities for personal reflection and meditation. Though we did not have translators, the spirit of the service was very evident. We were told many of those who would lead the St. Thomas Mass on Sunday evening attend this quieter service on Saturday evening. I thought of how ill prepared I often come to worship on Sunday morning because I've not had an opportunity to participate in worship where I don't have to lead. Following the service, we stayed for tea and conversation. One of the people we met was a member of the Orthodox Church, and he shared with us some of the ways the St. Thomas Mass had been influenced by that tradition. He spoke of the use of icons and of the movement that takes place during the worship service.

As our hostess for the evening bid us goodnight, she told us that Olli Valtonen and his wife would pick us up on Sunday afternoon and take us to lunch. That evening, as I went to bed I felt as excited as a child waiting for Christmas. The next day we would meet with the man who was one of the two persons instrumental in bringing this worship service into existence in 1988. Olli Valtonen was an ordained Lutheran pastor now serving the City Mission. The other person with whom Olli shared the beginning journey of forming the Mass was Miikka Ruokanen, now professor of dogmatics at Helsinki University .

On Sunday afternoon, as we shared a wonderful meal of fish and other specialties at an old estate house turned into a restaurant, I listened intently as Valtonen spoke of the genesis of the St. Thomas Mass. In a city where worship attendance was only ten percent of church members, he had noticed persons who came into the church sanctuary during the week to sit in silence. When quizzed, they often said they just needed a place to breathe for a little while. Whether tourists or workers, they longed to touch something deeper than the trouble and confusion of their day.

Valtonen knew traditional worship in his church was drowning in a sea of Enlightenment rationalism. He did not believe Fins were antagonistic toward God, but they were not being moved by the sterile ritual of the church. They longed for something able to penetrate their heart and their gut. I asked Olli what he meant by gut and he said that it referred to that which is at the very core of one's life, the very breathe that we breath.

He and Ruokanen began talking about worship. They sent letters inviting others to join them in their prayerful search for worship that would be meaning, worship that would draw people into the joy and mystery of God. About forty people, both lay and clergy responded and began meeting weekly. They wondered together about what worship might need to look like were it to speak to the post-enlightenment person.

The group consisted of persons from Lutheran, Orthodox, Free Church and Pentecostal backgrounds. For a year they met, prayed and allowed the "holy chaos" to work as they discussed and then began to structure a worship service. Each tradition brought gifts from their church to the formative process. Lutherans brought their deep appreciation for ancient worship patterns and order. The Pentecostals brought their love of prayer and their expectation of the Spirit's presence in worship. The Orthodox in the group brought a love of symbolism, a respect for living in the mystery and a tradition of movement that could transform the "frozen chosen" in the pews into a living body.

The group settled on the name St Thomas Mass because of their desire to host a worship service where doubters, like the disciple Thomas, and other sinners could encounter that which was holy in their lives and in the world and could experience the free gift of God's grace.

The first service was held on April 10, 1988 in Helsinki . No one knew what to expect, but over five hundred people came to that first service. Many had been away from the church for a long time. Some were agnostic. Some were from other churches. Some were professors at the university and some called the street their home. No particular age group seemed to be predominant. They were invited to experience God's grace in word, prayer and table. It was the beginning of an experience that has continued to develop and grow in that city and throughout Finland , Germany , Sweden and other parts of northern Europe . In Helsinki St Thomas Mass continues to be celebrated every Sunday evening from 6-8:00 p.m. The average attendance is between eight hundred and a thousand people. From June-August the Mass is held only once a month.

Valtonen believes the Mass has the ability to awaken people from their passivity toward God and their own spiritual life. Through the use of signs and symbols, through the use of music and movement, the service is able to convey a real sense of God's presence and grace, is able to speak to the deepest part of a person's life and let them know that "all is well."

As Olli spoke about the service, I tried to comprehend how such a creative service could be planned week after week. It would surely tax one person beyond their ability to remain fresh and innovative. Valtonen told me the Mass is not planned by one minister. There are groups of about forty to seventy lay people who plan each week's service. Each week a different group is responsible. They have a group of clergy persons they can call on to help with the service, but the liturgy is truly the work of the people. They have a list of about two hundred musicians that can be called upon to lead worship. The musicians are the only persons who receive payment for their participation. The order of the service usually remains the same, but the mood of the service may vary, depending in part on the type of music used. One week the predominant type of music might be jazz. The next week it might be classical. The next week it might be rap. The musicians are encouraged to lead the gathering in music, not provide a performance.

The order of the St Thomas Mass begins with an entrance hymn and a processional of those involved in the service that evening. There are typically nine clergy and nine laypersons dressed in white albs who follow an iconic cross into the sanctuary. The cross is a gift from the Taize community in France . There is a brief preparation for worship which includes a greeting by the celebrant and any instructions that might be needed. A time of confession includes a public confession, the singing of Kyrie, the prayers of two representatives of the congregation offering a more personal confessional prayer and an absolution pronounced by the celebrant. Having experienced the grace of forgiveness a joyful hymn of praise is sung.

Through invitation the congregation is invited into a period of prayer.. This is a time when those present are able to experience personal prayer and meditation. Several avenues of prayer are offered through various altars or stations set up around the sanctuary. There is a quiet prayer song being sung, and some choose to simply sit in their seat and sing or meditate in silence. Others move about to one of the altars. One altar might have a candle and an icon to draw a person into contemplation. Another might have a written prayer. Several altars afford an opportunity to light a candle and write down a prayer request. There are also persons at the main altar of the church receiving those who come and praying with them privately and anointing with oil if that is desired. This period draws to a conclusion with a couple of persons leading a public prayer and including some of the written requests in the prayer. After the prayers the hymn of the day is sung.

Following the time of prayer the New Testament lesson is read followed by "Thanks be to God." Then the Alleluia is sung followed by the reading of the Gospel. The Alleluia again follows the gospel reading and then a short sermon is offered by one of the ministers in the area. The preacher for the day is different from the celebrant for the day. The sermon is followed by a creed.

The worship service then moves into its central focus, that of receiving the Eucharist. This time begins by the receiving of an offering. One half of the money is used for expenses incurred by the Mass and one half of the money goes to some mission project. One of their projects was the purchase of an airplane that is being used in medical mission work in parts of Africa .

Following the offering, the celebrant leads in the Great Thanksgiving concluding with the singing of the Sanctus. The celebrant consecrates the bread and wine and those gathered pray the Lord's Prayer after having declared the mystery, "When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus until you come in glory!" The peace of the Lord is shared verbally and then by other signs of peace such as handshakes or hugs. This is concluded with the singing of the Agnus Dei and then people come to one of nine altars or stations where a clergyperson and a layperson serve communion. There is a post communion prayer, a blessing and the dismissal followed by a closing prayer and a recessional.

With some idea of what to expect that evening at the St.Thomas Mass, my wife and I were dropped off at our hotel. Olli's wife, Leila, would sit with us during the service since Olli would be the celebrant for the evening. We made the short walk to the Lutheran Cathedral where the service would be held that evening due to renovation work going on at Agricola Church . We met several people there, including an Anglican Bishop from Africa who was visiting. A young lady provided us headphones and told us she would be translating as best she could all of the service. I looked around as I took a seat and tried to size up the crowd. No particular age group was predominant. Most people were dressed casually, but not all. There seemed to be less talking than is common in congregations in the States. Many people seemed to be in a mood of reflection or prayer. As the music began I turned to watch the procession. The iconic cross, similar to the cross of St. Francis of Assisi , reflected the light from the windows as it led the leaders down the aisle. The music was led by a small group of three or four women one of whom played the flute during interludes. There was also a pianist.

I had been asked by Olli to share greetings with the gathering and tell a little of my reason for being there. I don't know what Olli said after I spoke, but it brought laughter from the congregation. I felt warmly received.

When we came to the time for prayer, I was interested in seeing how that worked. Olli had described it as a time of holy chaos. But I did not find it that way at all. There was movement, but it was done quietly, and people seemed to move about as though they were on some short pilgrimage. I tried to visit more than one altar, and always found people very serious about the task they were involved in as a part of their personal prayer. The quiet prayer song being offered continually during this time covered any noise that might have been caused by the movement of people. I found the movement itself a form of prayer, symbolically drawing me into a community that was focusing upon God.

The Eucharist also was very impressive. During the singing of a hymn aimed at preparing us to draw near the table, the celebrant and other assistants radiated a contagious joy in their facial expressions and their processional to the communion stations around the church. They were not dancing, but their steps seemed light and filled with energy. Their method of offering communion was to give the communicant a wafer and then pour wine into a small chalice for each person. There were not enough small chalices for the crowd of 800 or so that were there, so a group of volunteers was constantly taking a tray of chalices to the kitchen to wash them and bring them back. It gave a very earthy feel to the table, a sense that you were using something that had a place in someone's cabinet. It was a very different feel from the plastic cups used in my church each week.

The table is not restricted. No one determines who can come. The celebrant declared that we cannot do for ourselves what God can do for us. The table is a gift to us from God, a sign of God's grace freely given. It is not earned by right action but by humble and joyful reception. Olli mentioned in a paper he gave me that modern seekers are more vagabonds or nomads than pilgrims. They don't seem to have a final destination. Vagabonds don't know how long they'll stay where they happen to be today. There are those who are searching for something more in life and he believes rituals have a way of conveying or expressing the central focus of one's life. That is why, Olli says, the Eucharist is so important. "Vagabonds' attraction and love for the Eucharist underlines the importance of ritual to postmodern culture. Rituals connect microcosm to macrocosm. They connect a creature with the Creator. They connect the past and the present. They connect me with my inner self and psyche, with my neighbor, with all creation."

The service was in many ways a visual feast. The iconic cross that led the way into worship, the candles, icons and written prayers that called people into prayer at various altars, the white albs and vestments all conveyed meaning without the use of words. As the service of communion drew to an end, I spotted one final presentation that spoke to something deep within me. Two girls, probably three or four years old, accompanied a woman as she went to an altar to receive the signs of God's grace. As they walked back to their seats, the two girls held hands and skipped quietly together. It was a dance that could not have been choreographed. And it will remain a metaphor of the experience we had at our first St. Thomas Mass.

The service lasted for two hours. We were told that is typical. Following the service a large number of those present gathered in a large room beneath the Cathedral for tea and cookies and to exchange greetings. My wife and I met a few more people and chatted with those we'd come to know over the last two days. We knew we would be leaving the next day and might not have the opportunity to come this way again. As we walked back to the hotel that evening I found myself already grieving what I would give up in leaving this place where worship had touched me in a deep and new way.

My sabbatical finally came to an end and I've been back in the pulpit a number of weeks. But the St. Thomas Mass experience hasn't left me. At the table each week I think of those who gather in Helsinki . And I wonder how effective that model of worship might be for seekers in our community. It affords faithfulness to the ancient pattern of prayer, Word, meal and offering, but its design is not so dependent upon reason and sterile stillness. Olli said, "In God's presence there is no need for rationalism. And if you discover the ways to communicate God's mysteries you can raise the dead, wake up the ones who sleep."

Worship in our country has depended heavily on the European experience. We are experiencing the same declines in the mainline churches as Europe experienced a generation or more ago. We are finding larger numbers of people on the outside of the church than we've seen since the 1950's. These people continue to express belief in God and display some form of spirituality, but they've lost the ability to join in corporate worship. The St. Thomas Mass begun in Helsinki, has spread to other cities throughout Finland, Germany, and Sweden, and has been successful in reaching many of those people who are at the windows and doorways of the church, but not inside, with a valid experience of worship that is ancient in its pattern but postmodern in its form. I believe a more thorough study could produce an important avenue of revitalization for the American mainline church and possibly even provide a guide for ecumenical worship.

Rev. John P. Wesley serves as Senior Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Bowling Green , KY.