Belgium: Church Chronology

1852 • Hamburg, Germany, and Paris, FranceThe French and German translations of the Book of Mormon were published.

1861 • Brussels, BelgiumGustave Choprix, a Belgian convert baptized in France, preached in Brussels as the first missionary of the Church in Belgium.

September 1888 • Antwerp, BelgiumMischa Markow traveled to Antwerp as a missionary. He was the first missionary to find success in Belgium.

October 17, 1888 • AntwerpHenrietta Esselmann and her son, Frederick Pieper, were the first baptized in Belgium.

1890 • NetherlandsThe Dutch translation of the Book of Mormon was published.

Before January 1891 • AntwerpA branch was created in Antwerp with Frederick Pieper as president.

January 31, 1892 • Brussels and Liège, BelgiumTwo branches of the Church were organized in Belgium: one at Brussels, with Casper Kuhlmann as president, and one at Liège, where J. H. Bergmann presided.

December 31, 1892 • LiègeA small hymnal was published in Flemish.

June 1896 • Rotterdam, NetherlandsThe Netherlands-Belgium Mission began publishing De Ster, a Dutch-language periodical for members in the Netherlands and Belgium.

November 1, 1897 • Liège and BrusselsConferences (“districts”) were created in Liège and Brussels.

January 15, 1902 • Liège

Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Belgium for the preaching of the gospel.

August 5, 1906 • AntwerpJoseph F. Smith visited the Saints in Belgium, marking the first time a Church President traveled outside the United States during his presidency.

1914–18 • BelgiumDuring the First World War, full-time missionaries were evacuated, and Belgian Saints held sacrament meetings in member homes, many walking at least an hour to attend. During these years, 14 converts were baptized.

October 10, 1919 • Salt Lake City, UtahKing Albert of Belgium, Elizabeth, the queen consort, and Prince Leopold visited Salt Lake City, Utah, and attended a recital on Temple Square.

December 11, 1920 • LiègeFull-time missionaries returned to Belgium following World War I.

June 16–17, 1923 • LiègeThe Saints in Belgium gathered for a district conference, presided over by David O. McKay, president of the European Mission. Fifteen people were baptized during the Sunday morning session.

July 26, 1928 • BelgiumThe Church in Belgium was formally registered as a nonprofit organization.

July 7, 1929 • LiègeThe Saints in Liège met in their new meetinghouse for the first time.

1936–49 • BelgiumPaul Devignez, president of the Belgium District, led the Saints through the turmoil of the Second World War. During the war he became trustee of all Church property in Belgium.

April 15, 1936 • LiègeThe French Mission headquarters was moved from Paris, France, to Liège.

June 27, 1937 • Herstal, BelgiumTwo hundred Saints were present for the dedication of the Church meetinghouse in Herstal. Heber J. Grant, President of the Church, offered the dedicatory prayer.

1940–45 • BelgiumDuring World War II, 102 local members served as full-time missionaries. Their efforts led to 135 convert baptisms during the war.

April 1946 • Antwerp and LiègeElder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited Antwerp and Liège to coordinate postwar relief efforts throughout Europe.

1946–47 • BelgiumFull-time French- and Dutch-speaking missionaries returned to Belgium following World War II.

January 1948 • AntwerpA special fast day was held throughout the Dutch Mission on January 18 to ask for blessings for the newly reopened Antwerp District. On January 25, the first public meeting of the Church in Antwerp took place in a small room in “Studio D,” a recording studio.

August 29, 1951 • Mechelen, BelgiumThe Relief Society was organized, with Maria Van Goolen as president.

July 20, 1957 • SwitzerlandMembers from Mechelen and Antwerp joined members from the Netherlands on a trip to the Switzerland temple.

1970 • France and SwitzerlandCharles A. Didier, a native Belgian, and his wife, Lucie, were called to preside over the France-Switzerland Mission.

1975 • BelgiumA “Mormoons Cultureel Centrum” was established to organize various cultural events and improve the Church’s standing in the Belgian community.

July 16, 1975 • AntwerpThe Belgium Antwerp Mission was created, with the headquarters in Antwerp. This mission would serve the Flemish-speaking people previously under the leadership of the Netherlands Amsterdam Mission and the northern part of the Belgium Brussels Mission.

October 3, 1975 • Salt Lake CityCharles A. Didier was called as a General Authority Seventy. In that position, Elder Didier served as General Sunday School President; president of the South America North, Brazil, and North America Southwest Areas; and member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He was given emeritus status in 2009.

February 20, 1977 • BrusselsThe Brussels Belgium Stake was organized, with Joseph Scheen as president.

1982–83 • AntwerpHorizon, a bimonthly, Dutch-language journal chronicling the Dutch-speaking Latter-day Saint community in Belgium and the Netherlands, was published, with Wilfried Decoo as chief editor.

October 16, 1994 • Antwerp The Antwerp Belgium Stake was organized, with Johan A. Buysse as the first president.

May 26, 1998 • Tervuren, BelgiumElder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rededicated Belgium for the preaching of the gospel.

January 26, 2015 • BrusselsSister missionaries appeared on the Belgian TV programs Iedereen Beroemd (Everyone Famous) and Fans of Flanders.

March 22, 2016 • BrusselsA terrorist bombing in the Brussels Airport seriously injured four Latter-day Saint missionaries and received worldwide attention.

November 9, 2017 • BrusselsJean B. Bingham, the Relief Society General President, spoke at the European Parliament on women and religion. She was accompanied by Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and director of Latter-day Saint Charities.