The Biography

Teet Hanschmidt (born on February 22, 1950 in Türi) is an Estonian Lutheran clergyman, a teacher at St. Martin's parish in Türi and the former dean of Järva deanery. In 1969, he graduated from Paide Keskkooli and in 1974 with honors from the 6th flight of the theater arts department of the Tallinn State Conservatory. Among others, his classmates were Elle Kull, Rita Raave and Lauri Nebel. Later, he worked as an actor at the Estonian Drama Theater and from 1977 to 1983 as an actor and director at the Rakvere Theater. In 1985, he started studying at the EELK Theological Institute. He was ordained as a deacon teacher on June 6, 1990, he received his teaching rights in 1999, when he graduated from the Institute of Theology. The topic of his final thesis was "The Office of the Bishop in the Time of the Apostolic Fathers" (supervisor Alar Laats). On June 15, 1990, he was confirmed as a teacher of St. Martin's parish in Türi. In the years 1993–2003, he was the acting dean of the Järva deanery and in the years 2003–2019, the dean of Järva. He handed over the leadership of the rectory to Katrin-Helena Melder, an assessor and teacher of the Järva-Jaani parish.