The bishop of Helsinki

Mgr. Teemu Sippo SCJ
Mgr. Teemu Sippo SCJ

Teemu Jyrki Juhani Sippo S.C.I. (born 20 May 1947 in Lahti, Finland) is the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Helsinki. He is the first Finnish-born Roman Catholic Bishop since Arvid Kurck (1464–1522).

Teemu Sippo was born as a Lutheran, and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1966 while he was in his late teens; four years later he decided to start studying to become a priest. He became a professed member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1970 and started studying at the seminary at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. He wrote his Master’s thesis on Paul Tillich’s principle of Protestantism. His thesis advisor was Karl Lehmann. He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1977.

Born in Lahti, May 5, 1947.
First vows in the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus October 11, 1970.
Diplomtheologe from the University of Freiburg (Germany) 1976.
Priestly ordination May 28, 1977.
Chosen to Diocesan Administrator July 2, 2008.
Episcopal nomination June 16, 2009.
Consecrated Bishop September 5, 2009.

After that he worked in Helsinki and Jyväskylä. In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Helsinki, succeeding Josef Wrobel, who had been appointed auxiliary bishop of Lublin. He was consecrated bishop by Karl Cardinal Lehmann on September 5, 2009.  The consecration took place in the Turku Cathedral, which is a Lutheran church.

Important Links

https://katolinen.fi/helsingin-piispa/

Helsingin hiippakunta


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Helsinki
http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/hels0.htm