Introducing Martin Luther Church’s new vicar Catharina Klein

Martin Luther Church is pleased to introduce our new vicar, Catharina Klein, who arrived in Toronto late April 2017 from Germany and will serve in our church for one year. Prior to joining our church, Catharina (better known as Thara) served as a vicar at a congregation near Hamburg for over two years.

Born in Rendsburg, in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Thara’s desire to serve God grew through working with young adults at her local church. With support and guidance from her youth group leader and other people, she eventually went on to study theology in Kiel, Münster and Vienna. After her studies she took up a vicariate position in Elmshorn. During her time there she also explored the possibility of continuing her duties as a vicar abroad, in part due to her love for travelling and meeting people from different cultures and learning from such encounters. After speaking to Pastor Ceconi and hearing about the congregation here, she realized that Martin Luther Church was where she wanted to serve next.

Although Thara has been in Toronto for only about a month, she has already experienced a lot through Martin Luther Church. On her first full day in Toronto she visited a senior residence, attended a funeral, and participated in a table talk discussion on restorative justice. Her second week was just as busy and rewarding, especially as she had the opportunity to lead Sunday worship and give sermons both in English and German while Pastor Ceconi was in Germany. She notes that the warm welcome and support she received from the congregation from day one made it easier for her to dive into her duties.

When Thara has free time she enjoys reading historical crime novels, listening to country and folk music, and practicing hoop dancing. She finds hoop dancing holistic; it allows her to express herself creatively and helps her de-stress, as she doesn’t have to think about anything except just going with the flow!

There are many things Thara is looking forward to achieving and experiencing during her time in Toronto at the Martin Luther Church, one of which is exploring new ways of worship and fellowship. She also hopes to learn more about the future of the church in general and its role in our ever changing world—how can we position our church for the future while keeping true to our traditions and preserving our roots? She believes her time here in Toronto will provide her with many enriching moments and learning experiences, and is very excited to serve as a vicar at our church.

Welcome, Thara!