President Lennart Meri attended the holy mass of the St. Bridget's Order of the Most Holy Savior and the consecration of the new building of the Pirita Convent at Pirita on Saturday afternoon.

The President talked to Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender and the Prioress of the St. Bridget's Order of the Most Holy Savior Mother M. Tekla Famiglietti, the sisters of the Tallinn convent of Bridgettines and secular representative of the Order Lagle Parek.

The President asked the Nuncio to thank Pope John Paul cordially for his epistle and for mentioning the role of the President in the restoration of the new convent at Pirita. The President also asked him to thank all supporters, particularly the believers in Mexico, with whose assistance the new convent at Pirita, which is no doubt among the best achievements of the modern Estonian architecture, was completed.

According to the head of the state, convents have always been places where morals and strength of soul have been kept up and given, hearts of education and light, and also our modern universities and research institutions have grown out of convents.

"We need strength of soul and strong morality today in Estonia and in the whole world even more than six hundred years ago, and all our daily activities have to be carried by mercy, charity and wakening of man to Christian values," said the President delivering an engraving of the ruins of the historical Pirita Convent, made in 1858 by Wilhelm Riefstahl, as a present to the new convent.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, September 15, 2001

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