Paul Verschuren


Paul Verschuren
Bishop of Helsinki
ChurchCatholic
In office1967–1998
PredecessorGulielmus Cobben
SuccessorJózef Wróbel
Orders
OrdinationMarch 19, 1950
Personal details
Born(1925-03-26)March 26, 1925
DiedFebruary 19, 2000(2000-02-19) (aged 74)
MottoIn Christo Omnes
(Everything in Christ)
Coat of arms

Paul Michael Verschuren SCJ (26 March 1925 – 19 February 2000) was a Catholic priest and bishop.[1] He was a Doctor of Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He moved to Finland to be the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki and was later Bishop of Helsinki from 1967 to 1998.

Verschuren was ordained in the year 1950. In 1964 he was consecrated titular bishop of Aquae Sirenses[2] to be the auxiliary bishop of Helsinki. As the auxiliary bishop, he prepared to be the successor of bishop Gulielmus Cobben, who later ordained him to be bishop of Helsinki in 1967. Verschuren learned both languages of Finland, Finnish and Swedish, quickly. He achieved the status of a public intellectual in Finland and was known for his ecumenism.[3]

He resigned in September 1998 due to leukemia and died in February 2000.[3][4] He is buried in the Catholic graveyard of Turku.

Styles of
Paul Verschuren
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor

See also

Sources

  1. ^ "Katoliset piispat Suomessa". Katolinen kirkko Suomessa (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  2. ^ "Bishop Paul Verschuren [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  3. ^ a b "BLF". blf.fi. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  4. ^ "Hiippakunnat | Paul Verschuren erosi sairauden vuoksi". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 1998-09-05. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
  • Media related to Paul Verschuren at Wikimedia Commons