Sarmīte Fišere was born on 19 January 1960 in Riga.
Her mother, Aina Dortāne, was born on 24 December 1929 into a family of 12 children in “Miciņi” in the village of Ērģeme, Valka district. She was a head cook. Her father, Pēteris Dortāns (1928–1990), was born into a family of nine children in “Vuciņi” in the village of Andzeļi (near Dagda) and was baptised in the Basilica of Aglona. He was a locksmith. Her mother’s mother, Marija Rozentāle (1904–1985), was a Lutheran; her father’s mother, Valentīna Dortāne (1894–1982), was a Catholic. Both had studied in St. Petersburg, were deeply devout, warm-hearted, and gave a great deal to the spiritual growth of Sarmīte and her brother Normunds (born 1964). They taught their grandchildren the foundation of life: “Whatever you do, do it well, honestly and to the end!” At Christmas they would light the tree at home, with candles saved up from previous years, because during the Soviet era candles were not sold in shops at Christmastime. Sarmīte learned to read at the age of five from her grandmother’s hymnbook in the old script. The first books she read, even before school, were quite varied – R. L. Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped,” Lew Wallace’s “Ben-Hur,” and the Bible.
The girl did well and excellently at Riga Secondary School No. 24 (1967–1975) and took part in the drama club. When children had to join the Octobrists and become “grandchildren of Vladimir Ilyich,” Sarmīte cried: “I don’t want to live with Lenin in the Kremlin, I want to live with my grandmother.” That day she did not go to school. In 1968, the new Secondary School No. 50 began to be built next to School No. 24. Together with other Octobrists and Pioneers, Sarmīte helped with the construction work as a patronage task, carrying bricks. More than 20 years later, in 1991, Pastor Sarmīte Fišere consecrated this school at the Cathedral as the Riga Centre Humanities Gymnasium and taught Christian ethics there.
To realise her childhood dream of being a gardener, the girl studied at the Bulduri Soviet farm technical school. She graduated from the technical school in 1979 with distinction; she had been the leader of an international friendship-of-peoples club, a reciter, and a good athlete. She began her working life as an agronomist at the Botanical Garden of the University of Latvia in Riga. Alongside her work, Sarmīte began six years of correspondence studies at the Theological Seminary. From her earliest days, Sarmīte had been troubled by questions: “Why have I come into the world? Who am I? What will happen to me when I die?” What was taught in social studies classes turned out to be lies. Mutual recriminations, litigation and unforgiveness prevailed. Above it all – the idea of communism. From her seminary years Sarmīte remembers with warmth and deep love the rector Dr. Roberts Akmentiņš, Dr. Edgars Jundzis, Dr. Pauls Žibeiks, Professor Roberts Feldmanis, and Pastor Modris Plāte.
In 1981, Sarmīte’s working life continued at the specialised Soviet farm “Dzirkstele” for growing medicinal plants in the Limbaži district. The enterprising agronomist, with great love of work and a sense of duty, carried out all the tasks, earning the recognition of the farm director Pēteris Bondarevs and the opportunity to take part in study sessions at the Theological Seminary.
In 1980, Sarmīte married. A son was born. The young mother looked upon him with awe: “He is my continuation. A part of me. Something more than me.” The little one fell ill with a very severe form of eczema. The doctors’ attitude and indifference hurt. On sleepless nights Sarmīte realised: “One must ask someone else for help, because people are unable to help.” The mother fought for her child, that he might recover and grow into a person. Those closest to Sarmīte turned away from her, because they found it awkward that such a young woman believed in higher powers. But – a Miracle took place. Returning home with her son from a cemetery-festival service at Viļķene Church, the boy – lit by the evening sun, who for two years had been tormented by constant itching and skin inflammation – had all his sores peel away. The boy became well before his mother’s very eyes! Sarmīte does not keep silent about the grace of God experienced through her child. Chaos and greyness reign in the world, but Sarmīte looks upon everything with love and joy and serves God with gratitude.
On 22 July 1985, Sarmīte took part in the Song Festival of the Latvian SSR at Mežaparks. Under the impression of the festival’s feelings, she wrote an emotional letter to a work colleague – the Komsomol secretary – in which she quoted the Prayer by the poet Leonīds Breikšs. The letter was immediately handed over to the KGB officers as anti-Soviet agitation. Sarmīte’s explanation, however, turned out more as a paraphrase of L. Breikšs’s poetic composition. As an agronomist on the Soviet farm, Sarmīte also performed the duties of chairwoman of the Nature Conservation Society, organising various events; for one of them, one of the folk songs was taken as the motto. As a result, she again had to write extensive explanations to the state security authorities, because once again Sarmīte was accused of anti-Soviet agitation. She was nearly expelled from the Theological Seminary. In 1986, with the blessing of Dr. R. Akmentiņš, the young theologian took her remaining two exams on an accelerated basis and, as the last graduate of this seminary, received the degree of Candidate of Theology. She began to serve selflessly, with full devotion and great love, in the congregations of Velēna and Tirza in the Gulbene district and of Aloja and Skulte in the Limbaži district.
At the Harvest Festival of 1986, she had the opportunity to assist the elderly pastor Helēna Valpētere (25.12.1911 – 14.06.1989) in services in the congregations of Jumprava, Krape, Gostiņi and Vietalva. On 9 September 1989, in the overcrowded Luther Church in Riga, Archbishop Kārlis Gailītis, with the participation of Provost Juris Cālītis and Pastor Juris Rubenis, ordained Sarmīte to the office of fully empowered pastor. Indescribable is Sarmīte’s feeling at receiving the blessing of these three hands at once! From the Archbishop’s hands, S. Fišere also received Helēna Valpētere’s silver cross, which the elderly pastor had given Sarmīte with the bequest: “Go to my brothers and sisters, but know that whomever God calls, He also tests.”
On 19 January 1990, S. Fišere took part in the World Lutheran Youth Assembly in Buenos Aires.
She experienced a stirring moment – the President of Argentina, Menem, congratulated Sarmīte on her thirtieth birthday. In 1990, together with Provost Modris Plāte and Archbishop Kārlis Gailītis, she took part in the 8th World Lutheran Assembly in Brazil. By that time the Awakening had begun in Latvia, although the republic was still counted as part of the Soviet Union. K. Gailītis, M. Plāte and S. Fišere – representatives of the USSR from Latvia – thinking of Latvia’s freedom, collected signatures at the assembly for a declaration on the international recognition of Latvia. On 19 January 1991, on her thirty-first birthday, Pastor Fišere was among the participants of the Barricades and held prayer moments at Zaķusala, and also addressed the nation on Latvian television with the Word of God: “Others have horses for their strength, others chariots of war, but we are strong with the name of God – our Lord.”
In 1991, together with the Guide leader Milda Feldmane, S. Fišere revived the Guide and Scout movement in Latvia and established the Guide and Scout Museum in Ogre, so far the only one in the Baltics. She is a deputy of the city of Ogre. Some municipal employees, inspired by Sarmīte, find their way to the Ogre church.
From 1992 to 1996, on the Latvian Radio Sunday School broadcasts, S. Fišere clearly explained that God expects from people kindness, forgiveness and the overcoming of one’s own self. It is important that people correctly understand God’s words and acknowledge within themselves: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Rom. 1:12.
At Riga Cathedral in August 1995, S. Fišere organised and led a service commemorating 20 years of women’s ordination, in memory of which the Ogre congregation published a book about women pastors, “Go and Tell!”
In the picture, from left: Pastor Sarmīte Fišere, Pastor Vaira Bitēna, Pastor Berta Stroža. The photograph was taken in August 1995, when Sarmīte Fišere organised a service at the Cathedral in honour of the 20th anniversary of women’s ordination. Photo: Association of Latvian Lutheran Women Theologians.
In serving God, the pastor’s life took shape so that she is constantly on the road, getting to know ever new congregations and learning the history of the people. In all the congregations – Carnikava, Ogre, Straupe, Krustpils, Jēkabpils, Kuldīga and others – the people receive Pastor Fišere warmly, because patience, kindness and inner light radiate from her.
On 29 September 2000, at Riga Cathedral, Sarmīte received the blessing of Archbishop Jānis Vanags for a mission trip to Bashkiria, in order to foster cooperation between the congregations of Tērvete and Augstkalne and the Latvian Resurrection congregation of the village of Arhlatviešu. We can read about S. Fišere’s mission work in the “Bashkiria Diary” written by Sarmīte, published in the newspaper “Svētdienas Rīts” from September 2000 to October 2002, editor Gita Stalte. Later, together with Katrīna Zīle, a teacher at the Saldus Gymnasium, she got into a car given by people of goodwill and the two of them fearlessly set off for the Arkhangelsk region to hold devotional moments, teach children and tell about Latvia.
As a guest pastor, S. Fišere has also served in Latvian congregations in Sweden, Canada, England and the USA. The power of the pastor’s love of God and her self-possession help hundreds of people to find themselves and their place in life.
A special place in her work belongs to Sunday schools and the teaching of Christian ethics. With great love and understanding, the pastor founded in Aloja in 1986 the first Sunday school in Soviet Latvia. At various periods she taught Christian ethics at Carnikava Primary School, the Riga Centre Humanities Gymnasium, and Zaļenieki Primary School. The teacher has formed a long-standing cooperation with the children of the Tērvete children’s home, the Riga Secondary School for Hearing-Impaired Children, and the secondary school of the Arhlatviešu village in Bashkiria. Together with a team of authors, S. Fišere wrote the book “I Am Learning to Love,” approved by the Ministry of Education for the study of Christian instruction in the first four grades.
Welcoming in the year 2001 in Ufa, the capital of Bashkiria, at a Friendship-of-Peoples event, among two thousand singers representing around thirty different nationalities, S. Fišere, together with the Latvians of Bashkiria in folk costumes, won first place with the songs “Pūt Vējiņi,” “Āvu, āvu baltas kājas,” “Dziedāju par tevi tēvu zeme,” and “Ziedi, ziedi rudzu vārpa,” for which she received a letter of gratitude from the President of Bashkiria, R. Rakhimov, for fostering the friendship of peoples.
In complete trust in God’s will, Sarmīte says: “If someone wants to serve God, then one must serve people. One must come to terms with one’s inner person, in whom anger, weakness and quarrels dwell. I am firmly convinced that through prayer we can influence the world. God has said – everything is permitted to you, but not everything is beneficial to you! It is colossal trust, at times a difficult choice – to be aware of the words of Christ: ‘I am the Way. The Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father in heaven except through me.’”
Source: unknown.
Biography found on the ELCL forum (October 2009)