Alfred Tooming (5 July 1907 – 5 October 1977) was an Estonian prelate who served as the Archbishop of Tallinn and Primate of the

Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC; Estonian: ''Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik'', abbreviated EELK) is a Lutheran church in Estonia. EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation and belongs to the Community of Protestant Church ...

between 1967 and 1977. He was born on Idu farm in Ülejõe, Anija Parish,

Governorate of Estonia The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Governorate of Esthonia (Pre-reformed rus, Эстля́ндская губе́рнія, r=Estlyandskaya guberniya); et, Eestimaa kubermang was a governorate in the Baltic region, along with th ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, the son of Tõnu Tooming and Miina Roop. He studied at

Kehra Kehra is a town in Anija Parish, Harju County, Estonia, most known for its pulp and paper mill. The town is situated on the banks of the Jägala river, and has a station on the Tallinn-Narva railway. As of January 1, 2021, the town had a popu ...

Municipal School between 1916 and 1919 and in 1927 graduated from the Jakob Westholm Gymnasium. From 1927 to 1932 he studied at the Faculty of Theology of the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. He was ordained priest in

St. Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn St. Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn (, full name: ''Tallinna Püha Neitsi Maarja Piiskoplik Toomkirik'', german: Ritter- und Domkirche, , also known as ''Duomo, Dome Church'') is a cathedral church located on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, Estonia. Original ...

on 2 September 1934. In 1934 he served as vicar of the St. James' Church in

Võnnu Võnnu is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Tartu County, in Kastre Parish Estonia. It is located about southeast of the city of Tartu. Võnnu has a population of 552 (2011). Võnnu was the administrative centre of Võnnu Parish. Võnnu vi ...

and then deputy vicar of the parish in

Käina Käina (german: Keinis) is a small borough () in Hiiu County on the island of Hiiumaa in Estonia, located near the north shore of Käina Bay. Prior to the administrative reform of Estonian municipalities in 2017, Käina was the administrative ...

. In 1935 he became vicar of the Church of St. John the Baptist, also known as Harju-Jaani church in

Raasiku Raasiku is a borough ( et, alevik) in Raasiku Parish, Harju County, Estonia, with a population of 1,372 (2020). Although situated in a parish with the same name, Raasiku is not the official administrative centre of the municipality (which is Aru ...

. Between 1941 and 1945 he was mobilised by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. he returned to his post in

in 1945. Between 1946 and 1959 he served in

Jõelähtme Jõelähtme (german: Jegelecht) is a village in Jõelähtme Parish, Harju County, northern Estonia. (retrieved 27 July 2021) Gallery File:Jõelähtme postijaama peahoone1.jpg, Post office File:Jõelähtme rahvamaja juulis 2018.jpg, Community ce ...

's Church while in 1949 he transferred to

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu ...

to become vicar of St. Paul's Church and Provost of the Viljandi deanery. On 12 October 1967, after the resignation of

Jaan Kiivit Sr. Jaan Kiivit Senior (27 February 1906 – 3 August 1971) was an Estonian prelate who was the Archbishop of Tallinn and the first primate of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1949 and 1967, after the break away from the exiled Estonian ...

, he was elected Archbishop of the Estonian church, and was consecrated on 9 June 1968 in St. Mary's Cathedral. He was consecrated by

Martti Simojoki Martti Ilmari Simojoki, previously Simelius (September 17, 1908 in Uusikaupunki – April 25, 1999 in Helsinki) was the Archbishop of Turku, and the spiritual head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland between 1964 and 1978. Simojoki becam ...

, Archbishop of Turku and Finland and co-consecrated by Aarre Lauha, Bishop of Helsinki."Piiskopiamet Eesti kirikus"
''

''. Retrieved on 28 May 2019.

Family

On 25 May 1935, Tooming married Senta Kikerpill and together had four children, of whom their daughter, Maare Kümnik (1936–2015), was a notable Estonian bibliographer. Tooming's grandson is Ants Tooming, who since 2015 has been Provost of Tartu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tooming, Alfred 1907 births 1977 deaths Lutheran archbishops of Tallinn University of Tartu alumni People from Anija Parish 20th-century Lutheran archbishops Estonian theologians