Karl majored in Theology and Religious Studies with a focus on Practical Christian Theology. His goal is to become an ordained pastor of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. His academic pursuits have not only deepened his understanding of theological principles, but also fueled his passion for community service. He speaks Estonian, English and Russian.
Karl Paju wants to get to know St. Peter's congregation in Toronto and to serve the local Estonian community. He is expected to come to Toronto for a short visit in June to hold religious services and to meet and communicate with the Estonian community and our congregation.
To help in evaluating the potential of Karl Paju, we recruited Ando Kass. Ando is well known to us as a pastoral supply minister. Ando Kass has a Master of Divinity from Wycliffe College in Toronto. Through Ando, Karl was able to explore the possibility of applying to Wycliffe College to do his Masters of Arts degree in Religion. Karl’s application to Wycliffe College has been submitted along with some very positive recommendations from Kaido Soom, Väino Einola, and Ando Kass. The internship program at St. Peter’s has been endorsed by our local ministers such as Peeter Vanker, Kalle Kadakas, and Jüri Puusaag. The program was also shared with EELK Bishop-elect Ove Sander, Rector of the EELK Institute of Theology, in Tallinn. He acknowledges the positive impact this program will have on motivating a more youthful cohort of students to apply for his Theological programs. In his words, it is a win-win proposition for all concerned.
Karl Paju wants to get to know St. Peter's congregation in Toronto and to serve the local Estonian community. He is expected to come to Toronto for a short visit in June to hold religious services and to meet and communicate with the Estonian community and our congregation. Subject to approval by the congregation, the Congregational Council has decided to provide a scholarship for Karl to serve as an intern for us.
We are grateful to Tartu College for offering him free student accommodation while he is here in June. We welcome Karl to Toronto and look forward to introducing him to our community.
