Dominicans in Estonia remember the victims of communist repression

To mark the beatification of Monsignor Profittlich, the Dominican Family is organizing a continuous reading of the names of the 22,601 Estonians who died during the Soviet occupation.

With this initiative, the Dominicans, who have been associated with the history of Estonia since 1239, aim to commemorate and honor all victims from Estonia and elsewhere who, like Mgr Eduard Profittlich, suffered persecution and died under Communist repression. The Dominicans want to signify that their suffering, whatever their conviction may have been, has not been forgotten and is like a seed for a peaceful future. Their deaths serve as a reminder and an invitation to each one of us to be peace builders in a world where lack of justice and freedom still denies full human dignity to all.

The reading out of the names of Estonians who died in that repression will also be a means of expressing the profound empathy of the Roman Catholic Church with the Estonian people. As Christians, Dominicans believe that each human being is created in the image of God, and therefore worthy of respect and love.

During approximately 21 hours, from Thursday, 15 May 2025 at 3.50pm until Friday, 16 May 2025 around 1pm (Tallinn Time GMT+2), about 180 readers from various walks of life will proclaim the names of 22,601 victims as established by the tireless work of NGO Memento and the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory Foundation (Eesti Mälu Instituut).

This act of commemoration will take place in the medieval Dominican priory of Tallinn and will be broadcast live on the Dominicans’ YouTube channel (www.dominiiklased.ee), so that people, wherever they live, can participate in this event. In the cloisters of the medieval Dominican priory, the public can come and lay flowers and candles (entrance through Theatrum, Vene street 14).

At the end of the reading ceremony, the list of the victims will be carried to the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul where a prayer vigil will take place on the eve of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich’s beatification.