Le Temple D'Olohoum

About us

Who We Are

Le Temple D’Olohoum is a Vodou temple led by Mambo Marie-Florence Jean-Joseph. The Temple is dedicated to the observance of Vodou.  It focuses on creating a physical, mental, moral and, most importantly, spiritual environment for the practice of Vodou. We believe in the Great Olohoum, the Creator of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, governing the universe through the angels, the "mistè," or "zangn," as we name them, the supernatural found everywhere throughout the world.  

The Temple’s mission is to provide a safe haven for worship and religious observance according to the principles of Haitian Vodou; to foster the Haitian Vodou identity of our youth; and to enhance the spiritual, mental, moral and physical welfare of all members and the surrounding community through various religious activities, cultural celebrations and social events.  

We consider our members in their totality, as spiritual beings living a human life. As such, we take into consideration all aspects of our members’ lives. We can not practice virtue without peace—peace of mind, peace of the heart, peace in the material necessities of food and shelter.  

We welcome all open minds and especially open hearts to our Temple. We strive to be a guiding light to the community, embodying traditional Haitian values of compassion, justice, and care for the stranger. The Temple promotes awareness, understanding and practice of the Vodou religion, to improve the quality of life for all. We are guided by the history and traditions of the Haitian Vodou people as we encounter the challenge of the modern world. We encourage participation in prayer, life-long Haitian Vodou learning and universal social justice within a peaceful, creative and compassionate community.

What We Believe

We are a traditional progressive congregation. Rooted in tradition and progressive in outlook, we are a welcoming community of Haitian Vodou life, worship and learning.  We serve families and individuals in the New York Metropolitan Area by meeting the spiritual, intellectual and social needs of children and adults of all ages.

We believe in the Haitian people, a people ancient in its history and young in its aspirations.

We believe in Vodou, a way of life, a faith in Olohoum through his angels. Vodou is neither literature nor a romantic nostalgic dream, nor a museum. It is a living reality, here and now. It has created customs, many of them still so meaningful so as to deserve to be kept alive. It has created a piety, which can and must be translated into the terms of our daily life.

We believe in religion lived and not only preached. We believe that there can be neither sound interpretation of Haitian values nor proper understanding of Vodou without education of the young and the old.

We believe in a balance of tradition and innovation.  We believe in an honest search for the kind of Vodou that will make our people and our basic values survive and live again. We are neither ashamed of customs so old that their origin is lost in the gray past of our great-grandparents, nor are we afraid to change the unacceptable and embrace the possibility of the new.

We believe in honesty and loyalty, in a way that we watch over each other, support each other on the path toward happiness, fulfillment, positivity and enlightenment.