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First Presidency announces dedication, open house dates for Praia Cape Verde Temple

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced dates for the dedication of and open house for the Praia Cape Verde Temple, located on the island nation about 350 miles off the coast of West Africa.

The Praia temple’s dedication is scheduled for three sessions — at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. — on Sunday, June 19, with Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding over the dedication weekend events.

On the eve of the dedication, Latter-day Saint youth will gather in a nearby Church meetinghouse for a devotional on Saturday, June 18.

Public tours of the temple are available, from Saturday, May 21, through Saturday, June 11, excluding the three Sundays during that three-week open house period.

The dedication and open house were announced Thursday, March 3, on Newsroom.

President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Cape Verde during the October 2018 general conference, one of 12 new temple locations identified that day.

In February 2019, a May 4, 2019, groundbreaking date was announced, with the temple’s location and exterior rendering released. Elder Paul V. Johnson, a General Authority Seventy who then was president of the Church’s Europe Area, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The single-story building with a spire has been described as reflective of the architectural styles in the area.

Set in the capital city of Praia on the island of Santiago, the temple site is east of Avenida Cidade de Lisboa in the Tahiti Cha de Areia neighborhood.

The Praia temple will be the first in the 10-island nation of about 450,000 people. More than 15,000 Latter-day Saints in some 40 congregations reside in Cape Verde, which despite its proximity to the African continent is part of the Church’s Europe Area.

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