Dear brothers and sisters!
I am very pleased to inform you that on December 18, 2024, Pope Francis gave permission for the beatification of the Servant of God Archbishop Eduard Profittlich SJ (1890-1942).
The beatification will take place according to the rules of the Holy See in a few months, and we will inform you in due course. This concludes the 21-year-long beatification process.
I thank all those who have participated in this process, presented their testimonies in writing or orally, attested to numerous graces or blessings they received when they turned to the intercession of the Servant of God Eduard Profittlich. As Pope Francis writes: “The processes of beatification and canonization recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of life in martyrdom and certain cases where life has been continuously, even to death, offered for others. This shows an exemplary imitation of Christ, which deserves the admiration of the faithful.” (Gaudete et exsultate, 5)
This beatification is the first in the history of the Catholic Church in Estonia and one of the first in all the Nordic countries since the 16th century. This does not mean that holiness is a rare phenomenon in our Church. I am convinced that holiness is much more widespread than we ourselves imagine. What is rare is not holiness itself, but the lengthy process by which the Church decides to declare someone a saint, martyr, or blessed after a very thorough and detailed examination of a person’s life and deeds. Holiness itself is the goal of every Christian’s life, as Sacred Scripture teaches us: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4) and the Magisterium of the Church: “All the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (Lumen Gentium, 40) and when God grants someone a calling, He also provides all the means that person needs so that the goal of holiness may be concretely and practically achievable.
How can we now better prepare for the upcoming beatification?
September 26, 2024, and December 18, 2024, have successively been two significant moments in the history of the Catholic Church in Estonia: a new diocese and the first beatification. We have reason to be very grateful to God and to Pope Francis, who has been a worthy instrument of God’s will. For a hundred years we have awaited a new diocese, and Archbishop Eduard Profittlich’s beatification process has officially lasted a total of 21 years (actually more, as the investigation began already in 1991). God decided to answer both of our prayers almost simultaneously. Let us rejoice and be grateful for this!
Therefore, after consulting with the priests working in Estonia, I wish to declare a Year of Thanksgiving in the Diocese of Tallinn, beginning on December 18, 2024, the day of the promulgation of Pope Francis’s decree, and ending on February 22, 2026, the first anniversary of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich’s death after his beatification. I believe that the best way to approach the Christmas holidays is in a spirit of gratitude. Prayer of thanksgiving always plays a very important role in Christian spirituality. Christmas itself is a feast of gratitude. We await the return of Christ and give thanks for the birth of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem.
Each of us, each parish, could find a way to better express our gratitude for all that has been given to us by God. Not only through major events, but through daily ordinary life and Christian life. This could include, for example, votive Masses in parishes, Rosary prayers, and other forms of piety. And, of course, the Church now encourages us to frequently turn to the intercession of the future Blessed Eduard Profittlich and entrust to him our needs, desires, problems, and thanks.
Finally, let us remember that a special moment in the life of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich was when, following the Pope’s suggestion, he decided to share the fate of so many Estonians who were also imprisoned and perished in prison camps in Kirov or elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. May the beatification of Archbishop Profittlich be a special opportunity to remember them and to thank them in prayer for their sacrifice.
May the Child Jesus bless all of you and your loved ones! May He protect us from all harms and free us from current trials. I wish you a very holy and joyful Christmas!
+ Philippe Jourdan
Bishop of Tallinn
In Tallinn, December 18, 2024