San José Costa Rica Temple

Dedication of the San José Costa Rica Temple

Before the San José Costa Rica Temple was dedicated, the Saints in Costa Rica would cross three international borders in order to attend a temple. When the house of the Lord was dedicated, that multicountry trip was eliminated, making it possible for many temple trips a year instead of one very expensive trip.

“Now it is only a 15-minute drive,” said Mario Javier Jimenez, a Costa Rican who had worked diligently in the Church for 31 years. “When I was baptized, there were only four branches in all of Costa Rica. Now, there are more than 60 units. We are so lucky, so blessed.”

President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the San José Costa Rica Temple on June 4, 2000.

The country of Costa Rica has an expansive family history database with multiple locations. This abundant resource simplified the process for Costa Rican Latter-day Saints of finding the names of ancestors to take to the temple.

The Church in Costa Rica was greatly strengthened by the immigrants from Panama and Nicaragua. It was estimated that 500 Panamanian members and 150 Nicaraguan members attended the temple dedication.

“The temple is helping us become better examples and better members, so the image of the Church is improving in Costa Rica,” said Oscar Murillo, a member of the Villahermosa Alajuela Ward. “The missionaries will no longer tell our friends that families can be sealed in the Guatemala temple. Now the missionaries can say, ‘Your family can go to the temple right here in San José and be eternal.’”

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “O God, our Eternal Father, take us under Thy beneficent hand and bless us as Thy sons and daughters. We are beholden to Thee for all that we have and are. Wilt Thou look upon us with love and mercy. Wilt Thou touch our minds and open our eyes to the things of eternity. Wilt Thou stir our hearts with love for Thee and Thy Son and for Thy great cause and kingdom.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the San José Costa Rica Temple here.

The San José Costa Rica Temple was announced on March 17, 1999, and the groundbreaking took place just over a month later, on April 24, 1999, with Elder Lynn G. Robbins presiding. The public open house occurred from May 20 to May 27, 2000. President James E. Faust dedicated the temple on June 4, 2000.

Architecture and Design of the San José Costa Rica Temple

The single-spired San José Costa Rica Temple stands with Blanco Guardiano white marble exterior walls. The house of the Lord is 10,700 square feet and is on a 2-acre property. The temple has a celestial room, two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and a baptistry.