Teo Merras named new parish priest in Helsinki

Archpriest Teo Merras has been chosen as the new parish priest of the Helsinki Orthodox Parish, Yle reports.

Merras, 55, has worked at the parish for more than 20 years. He will begin serving as deputy to current parish priest Archpriest Markku Salminen in late January.

Salminen, who has led the parish since 2009, will retire at the beginning of April. In Finland’s Orthodox Church, a parish priest leads the parish and oversees its work, including social services, education and communications.

The Helsinki Orthodox Parish is the largest in the Finnish Orthodox Church, with about 22,000 members, more than a third of the church’s total membership. Its area covers five provinces in southern Finland.