Elder Ulisses Soares was named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018. He was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 2, 1958. He married Rosana Fernandes in October 1982.
Elder Soares studied at São Paulo Pontifical Catholic University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting and economics in 1985. He later received a Master of Business Administration degree. He was an accountant and auditor for multinational corporations in Brazil and director for temporal affairs in the Church area office in São Paulo.
Prior to his call, he had been serving as a General Authority Seventy since April 2005, being named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy in January 2013. He served previously in the presidencies of the Africa Southeast, Brazil and Brazil South areas. He and Sister Soares led the Portugal Porto Mission from 2000 to 2003.
In honor of Elder Soares’ birthday today, here are nine of his quotes from the past year.
1. ‘Representatives of the Savior’
“We are representatives of the Savior. We need to open our arms to those who suffer because that is what the Savior did during His earthly ministry and what He would do today.”
— Remarks at Portugal 50th anniversary celebration, July 5, 2025
2. ‘We are part of something sacred’
“As we feel the Spirit working through us, bearing witness of Jesus Christ, we will come to recognize that we are part of something sacred: helping souls come unto Him. When we teach by the Spirit, we are not merely delivering a message; we are inviting others to experience the love and power of God in their lives.”
— Seminar for New Mission Leaders, June 21, 2025
3. ‘A marvelous blessing’
“The decision to extend temples closer to the people is a sign that God and His Beloved Son want to extend Their blessings to all people. Seeing temple ordinances and covenants extended to every person who is worthy is a marvelous blessing.”
— Nairobi Kenya Temple dedication, May 18, 2025
4. Come unto Christ
“I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, the great Healer of our souls. I know that He lives and that His love is eternal and real. With His arms ever outstretched, He calls to each of us, saying, ‘Come unto Me.’”
— BYU-Idaho devotional, April 27, 2025
5. ‘Reverence for sacred things’
“Reverence for sacred things is the greatest manifestation of a vital spiritual quality; it is a by-product of our connection to holiness and reflects our love for and proximity to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is also one of the most elevated experiences of the soul. Such virtue directs our thoughts, hearts and lives toward Deity.”
— “Reverence for Sacred Things,” April 2025 general conference
6. ‘Reinforce our spiritual foundations’
“We need to consistently and constantly reinforce our spiritual foundations to repair our spiritual erosion and gaps in our faith. Nothing invites the Spirit more than when we center our lives on Jesus Christ. That is the foremost way to repair our spiritual erosion and close the gaps in our faith. ... He has His warm arms outstretched at the beginning of your day, always ready to embrace you, to support you, to help you in any circumstances. Just trust Him. He understands your pain. That one I can assure you, for sure.”
— stake conference in Brisbane, Australia, March 16, 2025
7. ‘Dignity is a universal birthright’
“Societies thrive when both law and culture recognize, respect and protect the inherent value of every person. Dignity is a universal birthright. Everyone has dignity simply by being human, regardless of religion, race, gender or nationality. While cultural and religious differences enrich our shared humanity, they do not affect our dignity.”
— International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., Feb. 3, 2025
8. ‘You will not be alone’
“So share what you know about Jesus Christ and your love for Him without fear in conversations with friends, social media posts or any other opportunity that comes. You will not be alone as you stand as His witness. He will be with you always.”
— Youth worldwide broadcast, Oct. 27, 2024
9. ‘Majestic and heroic discipleship’
“One of the most glorious moments of mortality occurs when we discover the joy that comes when doing always those things that ‘work for and please the Lord’ and ‘what works for us’ become one and the same. To decisively and unquestioningly make the Lord’s will our own requires majestic and heroic discipleship.”
— “Aligning Our Will with His,” October 2024 general conference
