Helsinky, Finland - Mormon Temple
The announcement to build a Mormon Temple in Helsinki Finland was first announced in the April 2000 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will be the 124th operating Temple for the Mormon Church and the third in the Nordic countries; Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark being the previous two.
Worthy members of the Church have been attending the Stockholm Sweden Temple to fulfill their obligations to the Lord and to bless their lives in attending the Temple. Now, they will be blessed with a Temple in their midst.
Church members attend the Temple to learn more about the purpose of life and to strengthen their commitment to Jesus Christ. Christ’s teachings are reiterated through marriage, baptism and other ordinances in which families are united for eternity.
The site chosen for the new Temple, and which was approved by the city, sits northwest of downtown Helsinki on 7.5 acres, in the city of Espoo, Finland. The angel Moroni statue, along with the gleaming copper 45-meter spire, and the building exterior of Finnish light gray granite will prove to be a brilliant landmark for the country of Finland. After the Temple is dedicated, the beautiful gardens and roads surrounding the Temple site will be open for visitors.1
Mormon Church Relations representative, Seija Linnanen who interacted with the workers on the Temple, were quite impressed with the respect they showed in their language and attitude toward the Mormon Temple. They refrained from smoking as well as listening to the radio, which seemed to convey that they understood and felt that, the temple grounds warranted reverence and respect.
The First Presidency of the Mormon Church has announced a public open house for the Helsinki Temple beginning on September 23, 2006 and ending on October 7, 2006. Those in the community are encouraged to attend and take the opportunity to learn more about the Mormon Church and the significance of the Mormon Temple to its members. The Temple will then be dedicated in four sessions on Sunday, October 22, 2006, after which the Mormon Temple will be open and attended by only worthy members.2
Following the dedication, the Helsinki Finland Mormon Temple will serve approximately 26,000 members of the Mormon Church living in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.
For more information on the Mormon Church or Mormon Temples, please see the following websites: