Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A year ago, on September 26, 2024, the Catholic Church in Estonia received a great gift when the Holy Father Francis elevated the Apostolic Administration of Estonia to the Diocese of Tallinn and appointed me as the first bishop of the new diocese. It was a historic moment! We know that the Diocese of Tallinn was already established once, in the distant past in 1219, but ceased its activities after the Reformation, like other Estonian Catholic dioceses. On November 1, 1924, Pope Pius XI officially re-established the Catholic Church in Estonia, but the situation of the Catholic community at that time did not yet allow for the establishment of a diocese. A hundred years later, Pope Francis’ decision was undoubtedly a sign of trust for Estonian Catholics, confirming that God sees our faith, our daily striving to live in Christ and witness to the Gospel.
The establishment of a diocese is not simply an administrative decision. Christ himself founded his Church and entrusted it to his apostles, led by the apostle Peter. The diocese reflects the first structure that Christ himself wanted to give to his Church when he chose his first apostles. The diocese contains all those aspects that make the Church the Church according to God’s will. Therefore, it was important that this long century of waiting had come to an end and the Pope’s decision to appoint me Bishop of the Diocese of Tallinn showed that a new ministry, and a new time, was beginning.
But what is the Church’s purpose for people? It is the same as God’s purpose. God “chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.” The message is very clear: our purpose is holiness. God himself tells us, “Be holy, as I, your Lord, am holy.” Holiness is not some distant ideal that only a few people have ever fulfilled. Holiness is the same love that unites us with God, holiness is the same unity with God that we long for and toward which we are moving.
And now, on September 6, 2025, we stood at another miracle: the beatification of Bishop Eduard Profittlich. His life has been a true testimony to the love of Christ. He did not fear hardship, he did not fear persecution or death, because his heart belonged entirely to God. He is our example and guardian. His life shows us that even small and unknown acts of faithfulness can be great in the eyes of God.
These two events – the creation of our diocese and the beatification of Bishop Profittlich – belong together. The diocese shows that the Church in Estonia is growing and living; the beatified bishop shows us how to live faithfully and love our neighbors. If the Church constantly repeats that its goal is the holiness of man, but we can never proclaim a concrete holiness in a person’s life, then I am especially glad and I think it is a very clear message from God to us and His encouragement that not even a year had passed since the creation of our diocese when we already had our first saint, Blessed Eduard Profittlich. There could be no better beginning! It is interesting to think that the Tallinn diocese in its old form lasted for about 340 years and they did not have the opportunity to celebrate a single beatification. We feel that God is especially good and generous with his youngest children and supports them more than older children. I believe that something similar has happened to us.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is our common calling: to open our hearts, to see the needy, to be a community that supports and encourages. Our new diocese is not just a structure; it is a home for all of us, where we confess Christ and live in His love. Blessed Bishop Eduard Profittlich is our intercessor in heaven, who asks for God's grace and support for us.
We thank God for these great gifts and ask the Holy Spirit to fill our churches, our families and every Christian among us with love, faith and encouragement. Let us give glory to God for this first year and for all the good things He has given us during this year. And let us accept with love the pains and sufferings that have come, because it is Christ who seeks us.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of our Church and protector of Estonia, always be with us on our journey, helping us to be faithful witnesses of Christ.