Good travel companion! I remember from my school days that the closer we got to the beginning of the school year and September 1, the greater the tension and even depression in the last weeks before school. Summer meant freedom, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the air of the countryside, permission to do everything that really works and offers joy, while the school was associated with responsibilities, routine, unity and grayness in the Soviet education system.
Everything changed when I discovered in my life my vocation and the schools that supported following that vocation – at first it was the G. Ots Music School, later the EELK Institute of Theology. Dealing with music and theology made my world wider, full of nuances and nuances, surrounded by people with whom I shared common interests, values and vocations. Since then, I have been looking forward to the autumn and the beginning of the school year, and it has remained to this day – even now, as I sit in my country home on a rainy summer day, the approach of the beginning of the school year fills me with sadness and joy.
EELK Institute of Theology, the oldest private higher education institution in Estonia, is waiting for the 4th-14th. until August, applications for admission to all our curricula in applied higher education in theology, master’s studies in theology and Christian cultural history, in the department of church music and in pastoral seminary. On September 9, teaching will begin at our school with a solemn service and act.
Maybe you, a good companion, have felt joy and routine in your life and activities so far. You may not have found your true calling and passion. You may have been successful in your chosen field and achieved a lot, but something and someone has signaled to you that God may have something completely new for you. You may have thought of studying theology, dealing with Christian tradition and culture, serving God and the church as clergy, but you have pushed that idea away from you for various reasons. Maybe this summer, an extraordinary time of the year, may be the right time for you to make the long-awaited or heartfelt decision to come and study at the Institute of Theology?
For my part, I would like to mention a few reasons for choosing the Institute of Theology.
First, the motto of the Institute of Theology is “education from person to person”. We have a small school, and it is in small study groups and individual forms of work and study that the strength of our educational institution lies. You can sit in front of the best specialists and lecturers of Estonian theology today, be they Randar Tasmuth or Jaan Lahe, Arne Hiob or Thomas-Andreas Põder, Riho Saard or Priit Rohtmets and get a part of their erudition, thoughtfulness, academic charm and spiritual wisdom.
Second, the scope of academic theology cultivated at the Institute of Theology is extremely wide, connecting and meaningful to many areas of life, intellectually exciting, and of applied value. A brief glance at the theses and master’s theses defended at the Institute of Theology this spring only confirms this: there are research from biblical theology (“Truth and Love and Their Relationship in the Three Letters of John,” “Resurrections of the Dead from Paul’s Letters”) to modern practical theology Images of Estonians’ pilgrimage in the press of the early decades of the 21st century “,” Spiritual home visits – the expectations and needs of the elderly on the example of Tartu Paulus congregation “). In addition to basic theological education, everyone should find a field to deepen and relate to their experience.
Third, at the Institute of Theology, academic education is inextricably linked to Christian spirituality and life practice. Although those who have not (yet) defined themselves religiously or confessionally (confessionally) can come to our school, there are daily prayers in the chapel of the institute designed by Jüri Arrak, masses (communion worship services), conversations on religion and spiritual growth take place in each session, and seminars and academic mentoring as a natural rhythm and part of the Institute of Theology.
I wish and pray that the approaching autumn and the beginning of the school year will also fill your heart with the joy of discovering and learning, excitement and growing pleasure from effort and deepening. Welcome to the Institute of Theology!
Marko Tiitus
Rector Acting
