Editor’s note: The Church News is highlighting the first 200 operating houses of the Lord of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a weekly compilation of 20 temples in chronological order over a 10-week period.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have 200 total dedicated and operating houses of the Lord when President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, dedicates the Deseret Peak Utah Temple on Sunday, Nov. 10.
That makes for a span of nearly 150 years since the 1877 dedication of the St. George Utah Temple, the Church’s oldest dedicated and operating house of the Lord. The first 20 temples were dedicated between 1877 and 1981, while Nos. 181 to 200 — featured in this installment — were dedicated in a span of just 14 months.
The final 20 temples of the 200 total houses of the Lord are found in six states of the United States — including five in Utah — and nine other nations, with two in Argentina.
And a total of 12 members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated at least one of the 20 temples.
Here’s the 10th and final of a weekly look — 20 temples at a time — at the path to 200 houses of the Lord worldwide.
181. Bentonville Arkansas
Dedication: Sept. 17, 2023, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The first house of the Lord in Arkansas. … The second of three temples dedicated on the same day, along with the Brasília Brazil and Moses Lake Washington temples.
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 7, 2020, presided over remotely by Elder Bednar.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May a mantle of holiness rest upon and endure in and over this sacred edifice. We ask Thee to shield this temple from disruptive, desecrating, and destructive influences and forces. We pray that all who enter into this sacred space will do so worthily and thereby preserve the purity and the spirit of sublime reverence that should prevail in the house of the Lord. Please bless the members and temple leaders in all of their righteous efforts to accomplish Thy holy work.”
Three more notes: Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the Bentonville temple’s groundbreaking ceremony, presided over the media day tours and dedicated the temple. A former University of Arkansas professor, he had previously served as a bishop and twice as a stake president in Fayetteville, Arkansas. … In the early 1980s, northwestern Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma and southwest Missouri were home to only 2,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet through convert baptisms, the strength of local members and many being drawn to the area’s corporate work, Church membership in the area grew to between 35,000 and 40,000 in 2023. … This house of the Lord is located around 8 miles south of the Arkansas-Missouri border.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Bentonville Arkansas Temple | Church News Almanac
- A focus on the Savior, ordinances, covenants as Elder Bednar dedicates the Bentonville Arkansas Temple
- Read Elder Bednar’s blessing upon the Saints in the dedicatory prayer of the Bentonville Arkansas Temple
182. Moses Lake Washington
Dedication: Sept. 17, 2023, by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The fourth house of the Lord in Washington. … Approximately 63,000 people toured the temple during the public open house from Aug. 4 to Aug. 19, 2023.
Announced: April 7, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Oct. 10, 2020, presided over by Elder David L. Stapleton, an Area Seventy.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this beautiful temple be a refuge from the evil and turmoil of the world and be an inspiration to the entire community to seek after those things which are ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy’ (Articles of Faith 1:13).”
Three more notes: To prepare for the open house, seminary students helped connect 4,939 names of individuals in the immediate area to FamilySearch. These records came from the U.S. census for Grant County and other county records in the early 20th century. … Before the Moses Lake temple was dedicated, Latter-day Saints in the city would travel around an hour and a half to attend the Columbia River Washington Temple, dedicated in 2001. … The day’s three temple dedications came within four hours — first, Brasília, then Bentonville two hours later, and then Moses Lake two hours after that.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Moses Lake Washington Temple | Church News Almanac
- Elder Cook dedicates Moses Lake Washington Temple: Temples are ‘a blessing and a gift’
- Moses Lake temple dedicatory prayer: Temple blessed to be ‘a refuge from the evil and turmoil of the world’
183. McAllen Texas
Dedication: Oct. 8, 2023, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The fifth house of the Lord in Texas. … The temple, located less than 15 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, serves Latter-day Saints in both countries.
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 21, 2020, presided over by Elder Art Rascon, an Area Seventy.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We ask Thee to touch the lives of the people who live within the reach of this holy edifice so that their hearts will be drawn unto Thee. Bless them with a desire to seek out the message of the restored gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. … May a mantle of holiness come upon this sacred edifice. May it be a beacon of everlasting truth and light, and an invitation to come unto Thee.”
Three more notes: It was the first Latter-day Saint temple in the Rio Grande Valley, which had Spanish-speaking missionaries of the Church as early as the 1920s. … The McAllen temple district includes stakes in both southern Texas and northern Mexico. Because of this, the name of the Church is engraved in both English and Spanish on the temple monument sign. … The McAllen temple is the southernmost temple in the United States’ contiguous 48 states.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- McAllen Texas Temple | Church News Almanac
- McAllen Texas Temple dedication bridges borders, Elder Uchtdorf says
- McAllen Texas Temple dedicatory prayer: Read Elder Uchtdorf’s blessing upon the Saints
184. Feather River California
Dedication: Oct. 8, 2023, by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The eighth house of the Lord in California. … Although located in Yuba City, California, the temple received the name “Feather River” for the river flowing 2 miles to the east.
Announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: July 18, 2020, presided over by Elder Paul H. Watkins, an Area Seventy.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray for the members of the Church in this area and their future generations that they can rejoice in Thy covenant path and partake of the blessings of their attendance in this temple, as they come for their own ordinances and covenants or for a vicarious work for their ancestors. May these Saints transform this holy house into their place of defense and refuge from the spiritual storms of the world.”
Three more notes: The Feather River temple was dedicated the same day that the McAllen Texas Temple was dedicated. … Before the public open house, a half-day event called “Youth First Look” was held, where youth gave tours of the temple to other youth. … It was built on the site where the Yuba City California Stake Center had stood for decades. Before then, in the early 1970s, the grounds were used for growing peaches. The family of Mehar Tumber — a devout Sikh — owned the site, and Tumber was happy to sell the property to the Church. His daughter recalled, “He thought it was a blessing to have a religious organization … as an anchor to our property.”
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Feather River California | Church News Almanac
- The Feather River California Temple will be a ‘beacon in this area,’ Elder Soares says at dedication
- Feather River California Temple dedicatory prayer: Read Elder Soares’ gratitude for the restored gospel and Savior Jesus Christ
185. Bangkok Thailand
Dedication: Oct. 22, 2023, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The first house of the Lord in Thailand as well as mainland Southeast Asia. … Once the Bangkok temple was dedicated, its district spanned from Cambodia to Pakistan and from Nepal to Indonesia.
Announced: April 5, 2015, by President Thomas S. Monson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Jan. 26, 2019, presided over by Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy, with Elder David F. Evans, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Asia Area, offering the prayer dedicating the site and construction process.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this temple fulfill its blessed purpose, ‘holiness to the Lord,’ and may it stand as a sentinel on earth of Thy eternal plan, separate and apart from the ways of the world. May all who come here, recommended to the Lord, be further enlightened with the doctrine of the gospel, the hope of life eternal and Thy promised peace.”
Three more notes: Thailand’s first stake was organized in Bangkok in June 1995. Nearly three decades later, at the dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple, the country had more than 23,000 Church members in over 40 congregations. … On Aug. 26, 2023, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a tour of the Bangkok temple to a group of more than 375 Thai young single adults from Bangkok and across Thailand. … This house of the Lord was built in front of the Makkasan transit station linked with Bangkok Airport Rail Link, allowing access for travelers coming from the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Bangkok Thailand Temple | Church News Almanac
- ‘Cradled in the arms of prophets, apostles’: Elder Rasband dedicates Bangkok Thailand Temple, the first on the Southeast Asia peninsula
- Bangkok Thailand Temple dedicatory prayer: Elder Rasband prays, ‘May this temple fulfill its blessed purpose’
186. Okinawa Japan
Dedication: Nov. 12, 2023, by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: the fourth house of the Lord in Japan. … It was dedicated in two sessions, one in English and one in Japanese; this was to accommodate members in the Japanese-speaking Okinawa Japan Stake and the English-speaking Okinawa Japan Military District.
Announced: April 7, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Dec. 5, 2020, presided over by Elder Takashi Wada, a General Authority Seventy and Asia North Area president.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Our hearts are full of gratitude for this Thy holy house and this historic day of its dedication. … We stand on holy ground, on this island of Okinawa, consecrated by thousands of Thy children, many who suffered deprivation, hardship, even loss of life through the tragedy of war. Father, please accept our deepest expression of gratitude for the gift of peace and hope in Christ for each of them, their ancestors and posterity. We pray that through the great plan of happiness and the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair will be made right for all of Thy children.”
Three more notes: At the time of dedication, the Okinawa temple district included 5,500 Latter-day Saints in 12 congregations. … The Okinawa Japan and Cobán Guatemala temples were announced in the same year, and renderings for each house of the Lord were released together on the same day. … As World War II’s final battles raged in 1945, the Battle of Okinawa claimed the lives of 240,000 Japanese and U.S. servicemen and Okinawan civilians. Yet almost eight decades later, the island chain received a symbol of peace and unity: the Okinawa Japan Temple.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Okinawa Japan Temple | Church News Almanac
- In a place once defined by war, Elder Stevenson dedicates the Okinawa Japan Temple — a symbol of peace and unity
- Okinawa temple dedicatory prayer: Elder Stevenson expresses gratitude for the gift of peace
187. Lima Peru Los Olivos
Dedication: Jan. 14, 2024, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The fourth house of the Lord in Peru and the second in the city of Lima. … It was the third temple — and the first outside of Utah — to be dedicated in the same city as another operating temple.
Announced: April 3, 2016, by President Thomas S. Monson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: June 8, 2019, presided over by Elder Enrique R. Falabella, a General Authority Seventy and president of the South America Northwest Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray that Thou wilt accept this offering and put Thy name and the name of Thy Son upon this house, that it may indeed become the house of the Lord. We pray that the presence of Thy Holy Spirit may be here continually. We pray that the sacred ordinances performed here for the living and the dead may further sanctify the temple.”
Three more notes: Peru contains one of the highest populations of Latter-day Saints worldwide. At the time of the temple’s announcement in 2016, around 500,000 members of the Church lived in Peru. When the temple was dedicated in January 2024, the country had more than 630,000 Latter-day Saints. … The city of Lima organized the first stake in all of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. When the Los Olivos temple was dedicated, Lima had 48 of the country’s 112 stakes. … Elder Christofferson, who had organized Peru’s 100th stake in 2013, dedicated the Los Olivos temple 38 years and four days after the dedication of the country’s first house of the Lord, the Lima Peru Temple.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple | Church News Almanac
- ‘Prophecy has been and is being fulfilled’: Elder Christofferson dedicates Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple
- Lima Los Olivos temple dedicatory prayer: Read Elder Christofferson’s blessing upon the Church, leaders and nation of Peru
- Peru’s Lima to become 3rd city — 1st outside of Utah — to have 2 dedicated temples
188. Orem Utah
Dedication: Jan. 21, 2024, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The 19th house of the Lord in Utah and the sixth in Utah County. … This marked the first time in nearly 22 years that a senior leader of the Church dedicated two houses of the Lord over two consecutive weekends.
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Sept. 5, 2020, presided over by Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Utah Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are grateful for our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of us have enjoyed this blessing throughout our lives thanks to the faith and example of our fathers and mothers, grandparents and other ancestors. Through their nobility and sacrifices they built families of faith that have endured and will yet endure through generations. Bless them, dear Father, and help us to be faithful in our time as they were in theirs.”
Three more notes: The temple site, purchased by the Church in 2004, was home to many fruit orchards. … The Orem temple provides a special blessing to local young adults, including the 10,000 young adults who lived within a 2-mile radius of the temple in early 2024. Less than a mile away from the temple site stands Utah Valley University, which had nearly 45,000 students when the temple was dedicated. Five miles away also lies Brigham Young University, which had almost 35,000 students. … A fire inside the temple during the structure’s construction ignited before midnight on July 25, 2022, starting in a third-floor utility room. The fire was quickly and easily extinguished.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Orem Utah Temple | Church News Almanac
- Orem Utah Temple dedication a ‘milestone in the progress’ of God’s kingdom, Elder Christofferson says
- Orem temple dedicatory prayer: Elder Christofferson notes the nobility, sacrifices of past generations
- How the Orem Utah Temple will bless local students, young adults, community members
189. Red Cliffs Utah
Dedication: March 24, 2024, by President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency.
Notable: The 20th house of the Lord in Utah and second in St. George. … For five weeks following the Red Cliffs temple dedication, the city of St. George was home to both the oldest and newest operating temples of the Church.
Announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 7, 2020, presided over by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray for the children and youth in a world that is increasingly unworthy. May they be drawn to this house of the Lord to learn a pattern of living that will allow them to stay close to Thee. As they turn their hearts to Thee, may they also turn their hearts to their family members, past and present, that Thy promise might be fulfilled.”
Three more notes: The Red Cliffs temple was first called the Washington County Utah Temple until the name was changed on June 19, 2020. Elder Holland and his wife, Sister Patricia T. Holland, came up with this name after driving past the red cliffs of the Petticoat Mountain. … Ground was broken for the Bentonville Arkansas Temple the same day as the groundbreaking for the Red Cliffs temple. Apostles presided at each, with Elder David A. Bednar presiding remotely over the Bentonville groundbreaking. … With this temple’s dedication, St. George, Utah, became the fourth city worldwide — and third in Utah — to have two temples of the Church of Jesus Christ, joining South Jordan, Utah; Provo, Utah; and Lima, Peru.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Red Cliffs Utah Temple | Church News Almanac
- President Eyring dedicates the Red Cliffs Utah Temple, a tribute to faith of the past and confidence in the future
- Red Cliffs Utah Temple dedicatory prayer: President Eyring blesses temple to be a place of worship, peace, order and love
- A first-ever distinction: St. George will be home to Church’s oldest and newest temples
190. Urdaneta Philippines
Dedication: April 28, 2024, by President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency.
Notable: The third house of the Lord in the Philippines. … Its dedication marked the 63rd anniversary of missionary work in the Philippines.
Announced: Oct. 2, 2010, by President Thomas S. Monson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Jan. 16, 2019, presided over by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We invoke Thy power to assure that Thy Spirit and Thy glory will always be present here and upon all Thy sacred work that will be done here.”
Three more notes: Two decades before dedicating the Urdaneta Philippines Temple in 2024, President Dallin H. Oaks served as the Church’s Philippines Area president from 2002 to 2004 as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. … The Urdaneta temple’s groundbreaking happened more than eight years after its announcement. During this time, three more temples were announced for the Philippines. … Several political leaders attended the temple’s groundbreaking, including the mayor of Urdaneta. Before dedicating the temple site for the groundbreaking, Elder Holland said, “This city … and the entire nation of the Philippines will never ever be the same as a result of the construction of this building.”
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Urdaneta Philippines Temple | Church News Almanac
- President Oaks dedicates Urdaneta Philippines Temple for faithful Filipino members who ‘believe these things’ and ‘do them’
- Read President Oaks’ blessing on the Filipino people during the Urdaneta Philippines Temple dedication
- Church News podcast episode 185: President and Sister Oaks on the blessing of returning to the Philippines and the Urdaneta temple dedication
191. Puebla Mexico
Dedication: May 19, 2024, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The 14th house of the Lord in Mexico. … The closest temple to Puebla at the time of its announcement was the Mexico City Mexico Temple, a distance of approximately 60 miles away.
Announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 30, 2019, presided over by Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Mexico Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Please let this temple be a beacon of gospel light and hope. Please let this temple be an inviting place of serenity and faith, of comfort and healing.”
Three more notes: The first branch in Puebla was organized in 1925, and despite their humble circumstances, members saved money to make the 96-hour bus trip back to and from the Mesa Arizona Temple when it began offering Spanish-language ordinances in 1945. Since 1983, they had been making the two-hour drive to the temple in Mexico City. … The Puebla Mexico Temple held the last temple groundbreaking in Mexico before the country declared a national state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This declaration came March 30, 2020, exactly four months after the groundbreaking. … The closest temple to Puebla at the time of its announcement was the Mexico City Mexico Temple, a distance of approximately 60 miles away. After its announcement, President Nelson has identified another five temples — Mexico City Benemérito, Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca and Tula temples — that are even closer to the Mexico City temple.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Puebla Mexico Temple | Church News Almanac
- Elder Gong dedicates Puebla Mexico Temple, with emphasis on holiness and temple blessings
- Read Elder Gong’s prayer to dedicate the Puebla Mexico Temple
- A look at Mexico’s long, rich heritage of temple faithfulness
192. Taylorsville Utah
Dedication: June 2, 2024, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The 21st house of the Lord in Utah and the fifth in the Salt Lake Valley. … The Taylorsville temple was one of five temples dedicated within five weekends, with Elder Gong dedicating two of the five.
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Oct. 31, 2020, presided over by Elder Gong.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pledge to be guided even more by the spiritual influence we feel come from this magnificent house of the Lord, now in our midst, as it were, our shadow by day and our pillar by night.”
Three more notes: The temple has special ties to Elder Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, a Taylorsville native, because her father — the late general authority Elder Richard P. Lindsay — had been the bishop leading the Taylorsville 2nd Ward in constructing a chapel that stood on the site of what is now the Taylorsville temple. … When the Taylorsville temple was dedicated, its district comprised 38 stakes in the central Salt Lake Valley, an area with a blend of both pioneer-descended multigenerational members and newer residents from around the world — particularly large populations of Latinos and Pacific Islanders, many of whom attend the multiple Spanish-speaking wards and Tongan-speaking stakes in the area. … Though the building stands in a predominantly Latter-day Saint community, people of various faiths visited the temple during its open house. On April 15, 2024, a group of Utah’s Jewish leaders and Latter-day Saints — including Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, a General Authority Seventy — sang the words of Psalm 133 in Hebrew in a sealing room of the temple at the end of their tour. The impromptu a capella song “was a powerful experience where Heavenly Father’s covenant people bridged a divide and came together in harmony, facilitated by the house of the Lord,” Elder Corbitt said.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Taylorsville Utah Temple | Church News Almanac
- Elder Gong dedicates Taylorsville Utah Temple: ‘Come to the Lord in the house of the Lord’
- Read Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s dedicatory prayer for the Taylorsville Utah Temple
- How singing a Hebrew psalm in the Taylorsville Utah Temple led to a powerful interfaith moment for Jewish, Latter-day Saint friends
193. Cobán Guatemala
Dedication: June 9, 2024, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The third house of the Lord in Guatemala. … The closest temple to Cobán at the time of its announcement was the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, a distance of approximately 61 miles away.
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 14, 2020, presided over by Elder Brian K. Taylor, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Central America Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We ask Thee to bless individuals in the temple district who do not share our faith, that they may revere and respect this holy temple and thereby be edified by its presence.”
Three more notes: Preparing for the dedication, Elder Renlund said he was delighted to learn a standard Q’eqchi’ greeting is “Ma sa laa ch’ ool,” or “How is your heart?” He added: “On this day of temple dedication, a great question for all of us to ask ourselves is, ‘How is my heart?’ If we let Him, God can and will change our hearts” through temple covenants. … The first members in the region faced intense persecution, with Alberto Coy Yaxcal, baptized in 1978, losing his job and having his house burned down. Another early convert, Guillermo Bol, said people would throw stones and hot water at him and the missionaries. … At the time of the temple’s dedication, its district included stakes and districts throughout northern Guatemala — including cities like Chulac, Senahú and San Benito — and throughout Belize. Latter-day Saints in this area previously had to travel four to eight hours to attend the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Cobán Guatemala Temple | Church News Almanac
- ‘Ma sa laa ch’ ool’: Elder Dale G. Renlund dedicates Cobán Guatemala Temple with heartfelt focus on Q’eqchi’ greeting
- Cobán Guatemala Temple dedicatory prayer: Elder Renlund recognizes the ‘rejoicing on both sides of the veil’
- A prophecy fulfilled: A look back at 45 years of faith as Guatemalan Saints prepare for dedication of the Cobán temple
194. Salta Argentina
Dedication: June 16, 2024, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The third house of the Lord in Argentina. … Elder Christofferson had served as a young missionary in the Argentina North Mission in the 1960s and had helped build the Church’s first meetinghouse in Salta.
Announced: April 1, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Nov. 4, 2020, presided over by Elder Benjamín De Hoyos, a General Authority Seventy and president of the South America South Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray that Thou wilt bless and preserve this temple through generations. May it ever remain a place of solitude and peace, a place of holiness and joy, a place of revelation and renewal.”
Three more notes: The Mendoza Argentina Temple, announced six months after the Salta Argentina Temple, held its groundbreaking the month after the Salta temple’s groundbreaking. This marked the first time two Argentina temples held a groundbreaking or were announced in the same year. … The Salta temple was dedicated the same day as the Layton Utah Temple. The two houses of the Lord were both announced in April 2018 general conference, and both had their open houses in May 2024. … The temple in Salta saves Saints in northern Argentina and southern Bolivia hours of travel. Members in Salta previously had to take 10- to 15-hour car or bus rides to the Córdoba Argentina Temple, which was dedicated in 2015. Before that, they traveled over 900 miles to the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple, dedicated in 1986.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Salta Argentina Temple | Church News Almanac
- ‘Salta the beautiful’: Elder Christofferson dedicates Salta Argentina Temple
- Salta Argentina Temple dedicatory prayer: ‘May it ever remain ... a place of holiness and joy’
- Episode 191: Elder Christofferson reflects on his own mission to Argentina and on returning to South America to dedicate the Salta Argentina Temple
195. Layton Utah
Dedication: June 16, 2024, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The 22nd house of the Lord in Utah. … The Layton temple was dedicated the same day as the Salta Argentina Temple. Both were announced in April 2018 general conference.
Announced: April 1, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: May 23, 2020, presided over by Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Utah Area; Elder Randy D. Funk, a counselor in the the Utah Area presidency offered a prayer dedicating the site and the construction process.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May all people who shall enter upon the threshold of this temple feel Thy power — and feel constrained to acknowledge that Thou hast sanctified this house as a place of holiness. May the spiritual lessons learned in this sacred place bless and transform individuals, families, homes and communities.”
Three more notes: Joseph Morgan and Hannah Weaver Morgan settled the land in 1854 when they arrived from England after converting to the Church there. The property stayed with the family until the Church selected it to be the location of a house of the Lord in Layton. … When a website portal was opened for volunteers to sign up for to help with the temple’s open house, more than 10,000 volunteers signed up in the first hour. … After the Layton Utah Temple groundbreaking ceremony was announced in late January, organizers initially projected the May 30 event to draw hundreds of attendees to the temple site — perhaps more than a thousand or two. But the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in restrictions and adjustments for public gatherings, and so a small-scale groundbreaking ceremony on the temple site had some two-dozen in attendance, with face masks and social distancing mandatory. The ceremony was available online the following week for members in the temple district.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Layton Utah Temple | Church News Almanac
- Elder Bednar says new house of the Lord in Layton to be a place of ‘covenant connection’ at dedication
- Read Elder Bednar’s prayer to dedicate the Layton Utah Temple
- How COVID-19 pandemic restrictions reshaped a small-scale Layton temple groundbreaking
196. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Dedication: Sept. 15, 2024, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The second house of the Lord in Pennsylvania. … Before the dedication of the Washington D.C. Temple in 1974, the closest temples to the Saints in Pittsburgh were in Utah.
Announced: April 5, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Aug. 21, 2021, presided over by Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy and president of the North America Northeast Area.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Wilt Thou accept this holy house as the gift of our hearts and hands. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell here always and be felt by all who come within its portals. May a mantle of holiness come upon this sacred edifice. May it stand as a beacon of everlasting truth and light and as an invitation to come unto Thee.”
Three more notes: Pittsburgh in the late 1950s and early 1960s consisted only of branches, no wards or stakes. At the time of the Pittsburgh temple dedication, there were three stakes. … Because Pittsburgh is known as the “City of Bridges,” a granite bridge was incorporated into the landscaping design of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple grounds. The bridge connects the house of the Lord to a nearby meetinghouse. … Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh shared about his visit to the open house of the temple: “I was very happy to be there. … I’m a firm believer that we especially need people of faith. We need to have a much deeper appreciation of each other’s different traditions and the differences that exist among us, but also that we can look for the common denominators that can help us to really work together.”
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple | Church News Almanac
- A symbolic bridge: Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf dedicates Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
- Read Elder Uchtdorf’s dedicatory prayer for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
- How the Pittsburgh temple is already changing the spiritual landscape of western Pennsylvania
197. Mendoza Argentina
Dedication: Sept. 22, 2024, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The fourth house of the Lord in Argentina. … It was the country’s second temple dedicated in the country in three months, following the Salta Argentina Temple.
Announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Dec. 17, 2020, presided over by Elder Allen D. Haynie, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the South America South Area presidency.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray the people in the Mendoza temple district will be drawn to the gospel as the Spirit of the Lord attends the temple and settles over this land. … We pray that those who attend the Mendoza Argentina house of the Lord will be lifted through their promises and covenants higher than the beautiful Andes Mountains.”
Three more notes: The groundbreaking ceremony for both the Mendoza and Salta Argentina temples were held only a month and a half apart. Both temples were also announced in the same year. … Early Latter-day Saints in and around Mendoza first traveled more than 5,700 miles to attend a temple in Utah, then 1,800 miles to the São Paulo Brazil Temple after its 1978 dedication and later 232 difficult miles over the Andes Mountains and through international-border and customs checkpoints after the 1983 dedication of the Santiago Chile Temple. Argentina temples followed in Buenos Aires (1986, 660 miles away) and Córdoba (2015, 420 miles). … Nilda Agüero, who with her husband, Carlos, chaired the temple open house and dedication committee, reported that “many hearts were touched” as more than 40,000 visited during the open house held from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7, 2024. Some visitors were “testifying that they felt an indescribable peace, that they felt the Lord’s presence in the celestial room and had seen ancestors who had passed on,” she said. “All these testimonies were given by people who are not members of the Church that visited the temple.”
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Mendoza Argentina Temple | Church News Almanac
- ‘Once a small acorn,’ Mendoza ‘has become a mighty oak’ with its new temple
- Mendoza Argentina Temple dedicatory prayer: Rejoicing in the dedication of ‘a long-awaited house of the Lord’
- How the houses of the Lord in Argentina reflect a century of Church growth
198. San Pedro Sula Honduras
Dedication: Oct. 13, 2024, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The second house of the Lord in Honduras. … The San Pedro Sula temple dedication came 47 years after the country’s first stake was created in the same city.
Announced: April 7, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Sept. 5, 2020, presided over by Elder José Bernardo Hernández, an Area Seventy.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We recognize that the temple is not simply a beautiful structure but that it is a holy place wherein sacred ordinances can be performed, ordinances that allow Thy children on both sides of the veil to make and keep covenants with Thee. We thank Thee that we can be drawn closer to Thee, be bound more strongly to Thee and that Thy divine love can deepen as we make and keep these covenants.”
Three more notes: More than 100,000 people visited the temple during its three-week open house, which ran from Sept. 12 to Sept. 28, 2024. … The 2009 and 2020 groundbreakings for the Tegucigalpa Honduras and San Pedro Sula temples, respectively — the first and second temples in the country — both happened in September. Honduras also celebrates its Independence Day in September. … At the time of the dedication of the San Pedro Sula temple, the country’s northernmost house of the Lord, it served Latter-day Saints in 15 stakes and one district.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple | Church News Almanac
- Deep, wholehearted faith: Elder Dale G. Renlund dedicates the San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple
- San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple dedicatory prayer: ‘We dedicate ourselves to the work of the Lord, Jesus Christ’
- Latter-day Saints set for San Pedro Sula temple dedication nearly 50 years after first stake organized
199. Salvador Brazil
Dedication: Oct. 20, 2024, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Notable: The 11th house of the Lord in Brazil. … The name of the city — Salvador — translates in English to “Savior.”
Announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Groundbreaking: Aug. 7, 2021, presided over by Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Brazil Area; Elder Joni L. Koch, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the area presidency, offered a prayer dedicating the site and construction process.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We ask Thee, Holy Father, to bless all who serve here, the temple presidency, the matron and assistants to the matron, the ordinance workers and the patrons, that Thy house may be a house of prayer, of revelation and of peace. Especially bless the youth and all others, that they might feel the love of Thy Son. Please, Father, put Thy name and the name of Thy Son upon this holy refuge, and allow Thy Holy Spirit to be here continually.”
Three more notes: Prior to the Salvador Brazil Temple, the closest temple to members in the city was the Recife Brazil Temple, a distance of over 400 miles, or a journey of about 11 hours. Years before the dedication of the Recife temple, it took Latter-day Saints in Salvador 36 hours to travel to the São Paulo Brazil Temple. … When ground was broken on this house of the Lord, Brazil had more than 1.4 million Latter-day Saints among 2,150 congregations. At the time of its dedication, there were approximately 285 stakes in the country. … The temple is located less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean.
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Salvador Brazil Temple | Church News Almanac
- House of the Lord in Salvador, Brazil, dedicated to help Saints prepare for the Second Coming
- Salvador Brazil Temple dedicatory prayer: A desire ‘to remain faithful and true throughout all our lives’
- Salvador Brazil Temple opens for tours to media, public
200. Deseret Peak Utah
To be dedicated: Nov. 10, 2024, by President Russell M. Nelson, Church president.
Notable: The 23rd house of the Lord in Utah. … The 200th temple of the Church will be dedicated by President Nelson two months after his 100th birthday.
Announced: April 7, 2019, by President Nelson.
Groundbreaking: May 15, 2021, presided over by Elder Brook P. Hales, a General Authority Seventy.
Three more notes: The temple was first named the Tooele Valley Utah Temple until the name was changed in January 2021. … Many audience members at the groundbreaking were seated over the exact location of where the celestial room was planned to be built. … On the temple’s media day, Elder Kevin W. Pearson — a General Authority Seventy and then president of the Utah Area — noted that the temple was already becoming an iconic part of the valley and that “it is literally an oasis in the desert.”
Additional reading from the Church News archives:
- Deseret Peak Utah Temple | Church News Almanac
- President Nelson will dedicate the Deseret Peak Utah Temple — the Church’s 200th house of the Lord
- Reordered upcoming temple dedications results in a new No. 200
Read weekly compilations about the 200
- Temples 1-20: St. George Utah to Jordan River Utah temples
- Temples 21-40: Atlanta Georgia to Denver Colorado temples
- Temples 41-60: Frankfurt Germany to Columbus Ohio temples
- Temples 61-80: Bismarck North Dakota to Memphis Tennessee temples
- Temples 81-100: Reno Nevada to Boston Massachusetts temples
- Temples 101-120: Recife Brazil to San Antonio Texas temples
- Temples 121-140: Aba Nigeria to Calgary Alberta temples
- Temples 141-160: Tegucigalpa Honduras to Concepción Chile temples
- Temples 161-180: Barranquilla Colombia to Brasília Brazil temples
