St. Mary's Church, Tórshavn, Catholic church in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
St. Mary's Church stands at Mariugøta 4 in Tórshavn, the only Catholic church in the Faroe Islands. The present building was consecrated on 30 August 1987 and also serves as the convent church of the Franciscan sisters. Its garden holds plants from remote parts of the Southern Hemisphere, chosen for conditions similar to those of the Faroes.
The current building was consecrated in 1987, replacing an earlier Catholic church that had been part of Saint Francis School in the city center. This new structure marked a turning point for the local Catholic community, giving them a dedicated place of worship.
The church is the conventual church of the Franciscan sisters, who came to the Faroes in 1931. Of about 130 Catholics across the islands, at least a third are Faroese, and some young parishioners belong to the fifth generation of the faithful. Two of them represented the Catholic Church and the Faroe Islands at Pope John Paul II's visit to Denmark in 1989.
The church stands at Mariugøta 4 in central Tórshavn, a short walk from the harbour. Mass is held on Sunday mornings, when the Franciscan sisters and parishioners gather; visitors can check the parish notice for other times. The garden around the church is planted with species from remote parts of the southern hemisphere.
The garden around the church holds plants from remote parts of the southern hemisphere, chosen for grafting conditions similar to the Faroes; they stand for the parish's place in worldwide Catholicism. Of roughly 130 Catholics across the islands, at least a third are Faroese, and some young parishioners belong to the fifth generation of the faithful.
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