Kalle Toivo Immanuel Harjunpää (; 2 June 1910 – 21 September 1995) was a

Finnish-American Finnish Americans ( fi, amerikansuomalaiset, ) comprise Americans with ancestral roots from Finland or Finnish people who immigrated to and reside in the United States. The Finnish-American population numbers a little bit more than 650,000. Man ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

priest and professor.

Background

Harjunpää was born in Rauma, Finland. Harjunpää was ordained to the priesthood 18 February 1936 in Turku Cathedral. His background was in the Finnish Evangelical Revivalist Movement, originating from the activity of neo-Lutheran priest

Fredrik Gabriel Hedberg Fredrik Gabriel Hedberg (15 July 1811 – 19 August 1893) was a Finnish Lutheran priest and vicar. He was a Neo-Lutheran theologian, a prominent figure in the Finnish evangelical revival movement and a leader of confessional Lutheranism in Finland ...

. As a young priest while learning the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, he was convinced of the importance of

Christian ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

which was unpopular at that time in Finland. Soon after that

Yngve Brilioth Yngve Torgny Brilioth (12 July 1891 – 27 April 1959) was a Swedish theologian, professor for church history and author who served as Bishop of Växjö from 1938 to 1950 and Archbishop of Uppsala from 1950 until 1958. Biography He earned his P ...

's book ''Eucharistic Faith and Practise. Evangelical and Catholic'' and Hans Liezmann's ''Messe und Herrenmal'' gave him more direction towards the Ecumenical Movement and Liturgical Movement.

Career

After short curacy in

Vehmaa Vehmaa (; sv, Vemo) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population dens ...

and a job in the student union of his revivalist movement, Harjunpää became pastor of Finnish Seamen's Mission in London from 1938 to 1945, and the secretary of Archbishop

Aleksi Lehtonen Aleksi Emanuel Lehtonen (21 June 1891 – 27 March 1951) was archbishop of Turku from 1945 till 1951. Education Lehtonen was born on June 21, 1891, Uusikaupunki. He attended school in Uusikaupunki, where he graduated as a student at the age of 16 ...

from 1945 to 1948. Together with Martti Parvio he founded a high church circle which was informally referred to as "Liturgical Brethren." In May 1948, Harjunpää immigrated to the United States. He became a teacher at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1953 and was professor of church history of the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...

from 1963 until 1977, when he retired. He was member of many Lutheran commissions on

Hymnology Hymnology (from Greek ὕμνος ''hymnos'', "song of praise" and -λογία ''-logia'', "study of") is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be m ...

and

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

. He was also member of

Societas Sanctae Birgittae Societas Sanctæ Birgittæ (SSB) is a High Church Lutheran religious society with character of third order for priests and laity, men and women in the Church of Sweden. Societas Sanctæ Birgittæ was founded in 1920 as a refuge for those who in ...

. Harjunpää died at his home in Berkeley, California in 1995.

References

*Harjunpää, Toivo: ''Muistelmia pappisurani alkutaipaleelta''. Kotimatkalla 1990 (annual of Lutheran Evangelical Association in Finland) *''Suomen teologit 1990''. Suomen kirkon pappisliitto 1990, Lahti *Parvio, Martti: ''The Liturgical Brethren. a page in history of the post-war liturgical movement in Finland''. – article in Ecclesia, Leiturgia, Ministerium: Studia in Honorem Toivo Harjunpää. Helsinki 1977.

External links

* 1910 births 1995 deaths People from Rauma, Finland People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) 20th-century Finnish Lutheran clergy Finnish Lutheran theologians Finnish emigrants to the United States American Lutheran theologians 20th-century Protestant theologians 20th-century American non-fiction writers {{Lutheran-stub