At the first Easter after the beatification of Blessed Eduard Profittlich, the Catholic Church in Estonia has welcomed dozens of people into the faith in a sign of growth and renewal.
By Marge-Marie Paas – Tallinn* Estonia is considered the least religious country in Europe, based on statistical evidence, but numbers only tell a small part of the story of faith. During the Easter Vigil this year, a record number of people were baptized in the Cathedral of the Diocese of Tallinn. Bishop Philippe Jourdan celebrated the Easter Vigil Mass and administered the baptisms at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. According to the Bishop of Tallinn, Blessed Eduard Profittlich, the first Blessed of Catholics in Estonia, has certainly served as a guide for the newly baptized. “God has opened our path to holiness. It is wide and it is connected to the sacraments—baptism and confession,” Bishop Jourdan told the newly baptized. He added that when the sacraments accompany us, the path of the holiness is real, and Blessed Archbishop Profittlich bore witness to this. “Holiness cannot be achieved in one day. It is a journey, but God with His Saints and Blessed Profittlich gives us the opportunity to accompany us on this path with His own light,” he said. Catholics in Estonia were blessed with a great joy this Easter, as they celebrated Easter Sunday with their own intercessor, Blessed Eduard Profittlich, who was beatified on September 6, 2025. They shared their Christian joy with the dozens of adults who were baptized at the Easter Vigil Mass. Since adults who have previously been baptized in other Christian denominations are usually accepted as full members of the Catholic Church, this year there were many who wished to join the Church and were received into the Catholic Church at the Mass on Easter Sunday, not during the Vigil Mass. The record number of new Catholics welcomed into the Church bears witness that the Catholic Church in Estonia is growing. The beatification of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich has certainly given new impetus to the Church’s work, as well as the increased visibility of the Church in society and the fruitful work of Bishop Jourdan in Estonia. The general fragility and pain of the world have also an impact on religious conversion, as people seek to find common ground in the hope and love that the Church offers. Already, other adults are attending catechesis sessions in the Diocese of Tallinn, as they work toward joining the Catholic Church in Estonia next Easter. * Communications Director of the Diocese of Tallinn