The Bibliotheque Nationale de Luxembourg (BNL) and the Centre de documentation sur les migrations humains (CDMH) have organised a public conference and a vernissage of the exhibition entitled ‘Henri Werling (Societas Jesu) and the Catholic Mission in Estonia’, to take place on Thursday 24 November 2016 at 19:00 in the BNL’s salle des arts.

The BNL and CDMH have organised both events next week on the subject of Luxembourger Henri Werling, who, instead of running his family bank in Luxembourg, chose to join the Jesuit Order.

Werling’s journey led him to Estonia where he would become the first Jesuit father since the Reformation. He worked on an internal mission in a country where Catholics were a minority compared to Protestants and Orthodox believers.

After having learnt Estonian and obtained Estonian nationality, Henri Werling shared the tribulations of the 20th-century with other Estonians: Nazi occupation and oppression under Stalin. He remained in Estonia until his death.

Antoinette Reuter, who is an historian from CDMH Dudelange, is the curator of the exhibition whilst the conference speaker is Philippe Blasen, author of Henri Weling’s biography.

The exhibition will run from 24 November 2016 to 7 January 2017.