Ground has been broken for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple — the first house of the Lord for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the island republic off the southeast coast of Africa.
Elder Denelson Silva, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Africa South Area presidency, presided over the Saturday, March 15, groundbreaking ceremony. Though a native Portuguese speaker, Elder Silva offered a dedicatory prayer on the site in Malagasy, the primary language spoken in Madagascar.
The ceremony was broadcast to Saints throughout the Antananarivo temple district, including the islands of Mauritius and Réunion. Information about the invitation-only event, attended by around 500 people, was published Monday, March 17, in a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org and on the Church’s Africa South Area website.
“Thirty-five years ago, in 1990 [as the first missionaries were to arrive], the idea of a temple in Madagascar was merely a dream,” Elder Silva said to the members, local leaders and dignitaries in attendance. “But now, on this historic day, that dream has become a reality.”
In dedicating the site and construction process of the temple, Elder Silva attributed the building of this new house of the Lord to the devotion of the Madagascar Saints.
“Father, many of Thy children in this land have dreamed of this day,” he prayed. “They worked hard, they prayed and expressed their love for Thee by striving to keep the commandments and to live in accordance with the covenants that they have made when they join Thy Church and kingdom on earth.”
Elder Silva asked for a blessing on the future builders of the temple and pleaded “that not only the workforce but the neighborhood, this city, this country and all the other cities that will be part of the district of the future Antananarivo Madagascar Temple can also feel that Thy future house will bring more peace, more hope and bring more faith in their lives.”
‘This is a place of worship’
Among the speakers at the groundbreaking was Hanitra Randrianaivo of the Antananarivo Madagascar Ivandry Stake, who has been a Latter-day Saint for 35 years. Expressing her profound gratitude for the dedication of this site, she reflected on her personal spiritual journey and experiences visiting the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.
Madagascar is currently in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple district, and Johannesburg is some 1,300 miles away from Antananarivo, involving international travel from the African island nation.
“Remember that the Lord wants us to draw nearer to Him,” said Randrianaivo. “We will attain eternal life if we remain worthy to enter His temple.”
Also in attendance was Toky Harilanto Andrianarivelo, the mayor of Antehiroka, the town where the temple site resides.
“The teachings shared during the meeting convinced me that it’s not just about building a church here; the temple will change the lives of the people in the Antehiroka area,” Andrianarivelo said after the ceremony. He added, “I will tell the people of Antehiroka that this is a place of worship.”
President Jason Kaopua — president of the Madagascar Antananarivo North Mission, whose boundaries cover the temple site — is thrilled that local members will have easier access to the edifying power of attending the house of the Lord.
“They are such kind and gentle people,” President Kaopua told the Church News. “It is easy to see why the Lord wants to bless them with a temple.”
President Deryl Eastman, president of the Madagascar Antananarivo South Mission, has seen Latter-day Saints make great sacrifices to attend a house of the Lord 1,300 miles away.
“The members here will be so very blessed by having a temple,” said President Eastman. “As it currently stands, they must travel to South Africa, and even though the Church provides financial assistance, it is still a very difficult ordeal.”
About the Church in Madagascar
President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Oct. 3, 2021, during October 2021 general conference. It was one of 13 locations worldwide that he identified at the close of the Sunday afternoon session.
Planned as a single-story building of approximately 10,000 square feet, the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple will stand on a 9.8-acre site in Fokontany Andranoro, Ambohibao, Antehiroka, Andranomena, in the northwest sector of Antananarivo. Patron housing and arrival facilities are also planned for the temple grounds.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. The first missionaries preaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in the country arrived in 1991. Seven years later, the Madagascar Antananarivo Mission was established in 1998, and the Antananarivo Madagascar Stake was created in 2000.
Today, more than 15,000 Latter-day Saints reside in Madagascar in over 40 congregations.
