BAHÍA BLANCA, Argentina — Throughout 2025, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have celebrated the 100th anniversary — “El Centenario” — of the Church in South America.
On Christmas Day 1925, Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles knelt in Tres de Febrero Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and offered a prayer dedicating South America for the preaching of the gospel.
Months later, on July 4, 1926, Elder Ballard prophesied: “The work of the Lord will grow slowly for a time here just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day as does the sunflower that grows quickly and then dies. But thousands will join the Church here. It will be divided into more than one mission and will be one of the strongest in the Church. … The South American Mission will be a power in the Church.”
Today, nearly 4.4 million Church members live in South America, representing about one-quarter of all Latter-day Saints. There are approximately 5,600 congregations with 104 missions and 61 temples that either have been announced, are under construction or are already in operation, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elder Ulisses Soares — a native of Brazil and the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from South America — marveled at the growth of the Church as he prepared to dedicate the Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple.
“We are witnessing the fulfillment of Elder Melvin J. Ballard’s prophecy that the work in South America would grow just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn,” he said. “The roots are taking hold, the tree is growing strong and durable, spreading new branches and creating new trees — that is what is happening with the Church throughout South America.”
Of the new house of the Lord in the port city of Bahía Blanca, Elder Soares said, “This is a day of rejoicing, a day long hoped for and now fulfilled by the hand of the Lord.
“I am certain that the dedication of a temple in this beautiful land represents the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream, especially for the faithful Saints of the Bahía Blanca area. How wondrous it is to witness the unfolding of the Lord’s work and the growth of His kingdom in this sacred part of the world,” he said.
“Today, the steady growth of the Church in this area stands as a testimony that even the smallest beginnings, when guided by the Spirit, can lead to great and lasting blessings.”
Elder Soares, a native Portuguese speaker, dedicated the Bahía Blanca temple in Spanish — the fifth house of the Lord in Argentina and the 211th worldwide — in one session on Sunday, Nov. 23. The session was broadcast to Church units across the temple district.
The Bahía Blanca temple is the southernmost in South America, and it will remain so until the construction of the Puerto Montt Chile Temple.
Elder Soares was accompanied at the dedicatory services by his wife, Sister Rosana Soares. They were joined by Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Debbie Christensen; and Elder Joaquin E. Costa, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s South America South Area, and his wife, Sister Renee Costa.
Reflecting on the fulfillment of Elder Ballard’s prophecy, Elder Costa observed that the Bahía Blanca temple is the second house of the Lord to be dedicated in the Church’s South America South Area this year, following the dedication of the Antofagasta Chile Temple in June — “another evidence that a mighty oak is growing in this part of the vineyard.”
“The dedication of the Bahía Blanca house of the Lord is great evidence of the love of our Heavenly Father for the many men and women who worked so diligently in His work,” he said. “I can feel the joy of those first missionaries that were assigned to labor in Bahía Blanca.”
‘The building of a temple’
Elder Soares said that from the earliest days of the earth, beginning with Adam and Eve, the Lord has commanded His children to build sacred places where they could worship Him and draw nearer to His presence.
“The building of a temple, such as this one being dedicated in Bahía Blanca, reflects God’s divine and loving invitation to all who will come unto Him with a humble and willing heart,” he said.
Temples, Elder Soares said, stand as a light to the nations that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is upon the earth once more. They are built under prophetic direction to bless God’s children in every generation.
Temples are schools of divine instruction — places where members learn eternal truths, receive heavenly guidance and participate in sacred ordinances that connect them to Deity.
Temples are places of redemption — for both the living and the dead.
“The holiest blessings available to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are found within the house of the Lord,” Elder Soares said. “Each temple is a living testimony that God lives, that He loves His children and that He continues to reach out in mercy to all generations — past, present, future. These sacred buildings bear witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Through His infinite Atonement, the plan of salvation is made possible for each of us."
‘Marvelous’ feelings
Susanna Beatriz Costas Moran, 90, felt “marvelous” emotions as she attended the temple dedication on a windy Sunday morning. She appreciated the opportunity to hear an Apostle of the Lord offer the dedicatory prayer in Spanish, and tears flowed as she thought about her late husband, who was not a Latter-day Saint.
“It was a wonderful feeling that fills you with emotion, love and gratitude to Heavenly Father for this blessing of a temple in our city,” said Costas, who was baptized in 1959. “We were a small branch with very few members in a humble little chapel. Now today we have this temple. It is wonderful.”
Maria Meriana, 18, described the dedication as a spiritual feast.
“It was a beautiful experience to hear the speakers emphasize so many times that this temple is for our ancestors, for us and for those who will come after us,” said Meriana, who loves family history work and is preparing to serve a mission. “I was very moved because I thought of my entire family, from the oldest to the youngest, and how families can be eternal because of the temple and draw closer to the Lord. During the dedicatory prayer, I felt the power of heaven and all the opportunities that are open to us.”
Standing outside the temple, President Ismael Antuña and Sister Luciana Antuña, leaders of the Argentina Bahía Blanca Mission, expressed their joy for the temple and how it has impacted missionary work in the area.
“It is a beautiful and wonderful blessing from the Lord for this part of Argentina. The Lord is empowering His children in this place through the temple so they can face challenges, draw near to Him and make covenants,” President Antuña said.
Ministering to the one
The day before the dedication, Elder Soares met with Elder Carson Castillon, a missionary from Bountiful, Utah, serving in the Argentina Bahía Blanca Mission. More than 20 years ago, the young elder’s father, Travis Castillon, was a missionary in Portugal under the leadership of Elder Soares.
After the visit, Elder Soares embraced the young missionary, expressing his love for him and his family. Elder Castillon was profoundly moved that the Apostle took the time to meet with him and felt a deep sense of God’s love.
“Elder Soares made me feel like I was his best friend,” the missionary said.
‘Flooded with people’
Organizers aimed for 25,000 visitors to tour the Bahía Blanca temple during its open house, which ran from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.
Nearly 34,000 — roughly 10% of the city’s 327,000 population in 2025 — attended, according to Carlos and Maria Arrua, who served as the temple open house coordinators.
Volunteers serving during the open house were inspired by the words of Doctrine and Covenants 109:13 from the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer, which says that all who cross the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel His power and recognize it as His house.
“We were flooded with people,” said Carlos Arrua, who expressed gratitude for having received requested extra shoe covers from other temples. “We knew that if people came, they would feel the Spirit and the Savior’s presence, even before the temple was dedicated. We knew people would come with open hearts — out of curiosity, a desire to come, to feel and learn more about Jesus Christ — including both endowed and unendowed members. ... The whole experience was exhausting but marvelous.”
Carlos Arrua said he was deeply moved to see busloads of youth arriving, led by bishops, as well as weeping mothers with their daughters in the bride’s room. After one tour, a man remarked: “It’s my second time coming. In the celestial room I feel peace I don’t feel anywhere else, and I don’t need my medication to sleep at night.”
President Juan Moura of the Bahía Blanca Argentina Stake shared that a young woman was deeply moved when she saw herself in the mirrors of the sealing room and expressed her desire to be married there. After the tour, she accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon.
“Most of the visitors we accompanied were inspired by the doctrine of uniting families for eternity. Many were also inspired by the artwork,” President Moura said. “All spoke of the peace and tranquility they found from the moment they entered the temple grounds.”
President Ivan Guzman of the Bahía Blanca Argentina Villa Mitre Stake told of a young man, not a member of the Church, who did audiovisual work for the temple. He said the feelings he had inside the temple were indescribable. After completing his work, the young man returned home and reached out to the missionaries. He is now preparing for baptism.
During the temple’s construction, the city faced two climate-related disasters. In December 2023, an intense rain and wind storm left 14 dead. In March 2025, Bahía Blanca experienced a severe rainstorm that caused major flooding and resulted in more deaths. Despite the damage and devastation, President Moura believes, these events fostered unity, provided an opportunity to minister to others and helped prepare the community — both members and nonmembers — for the new house of the Lord.
“Friends of the Church found refuge and peace in the temple,” he said, noting that some less-active members who toured the temple have since renewed their temple recommends, eager to enter the house of the Lord once again.
Added President Guzman: “During these trials, service and miracles, the Lord strengthened us as the temple rose. The journey to the dedication reminded us that even amid adversity, the Savior is present, remembers our covenants and desires to bless us, helping us strengthen our faith in Him through His house.”
Pioneer of Bahía Blanca
Daniel H. Fucci was taught and baptized by missionaries in fall 1964, during a time when a small branch met weekly in a modest home.
From 1968 to 1970, he served in the Argentina North Mission under the leadership of Elder Richard G. Scott, who later served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Fucci married Graciela E. Domenech in 1972, and they were sealed in the Los Angeles California Temple in 1977. They are the parents of nine children.
After serving as a presidency counselor and president of the Bahía Blanca District, Fucci was called as the first stake president in Bahía Blanca and set apart by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Over the years, Fucci served in a variety of leadership positions.
Experiencing the growth of the Church in Bahía Blanca and witnessing the dedication of a temple within his lifetime feels like “an impossible dream.”
“The gospel has been the greatest blessing I have received in my life,” the 81-year-old said. “This new house of the Lord in Bahía Blanca is the answer to our prayers and is a commitment to continue working in the Lord’s work.”
Fucci and his wife attended the open house five times, each time bringing friends and family who were not Church members. Without exception, the Fuccis’ family and friends recognized the house of the Lord as a sacred place of peace where the Spirit can be felt.
‘Where stories come together’
For Julian Mansilla, being in charge of the music and playing the piano at the dedication held special significance because his great-grandfather Thomas Looney was the Church’s first convert in Bahía Blanca in 1940.
Looney and other young converts participated in building the city’s first chapel and served in various callings that helped establish the first district and stake.
“Thomas Looney was an influence on everyone in our family. It’s difficult to separate our family history from our legacy of faith,” said Mansilla, who served in the Argentina Rosario Mission. “Although I never met my great-grandfather, his stories have been passed down as a family legacy, allowing me to understand that at any moment we can be pioneers.”
In addition to directing the music, Mansilla has interviewed Church pioneers and created a website (bellotabahiense.wordpress.com) that highlights the history of the Church in Bahía Blanca.
Mansilla hopes that those who read the history will be inspired to learn more about their own family history, ultimately leading them to the house of the Lord.
“The temple is a place where stories come together,” he said.
Reflections of 2 stake presidents
President Moura was 12 years old in February 1979 when his family traveled for three days — covering approximately 1,865 miles (3,000 kilometers) one way — to be sealed as a family in the São Paulo Brazil Temple.
“It was a great blessing in my life,” he said.
After serving in the Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission from 1988 to 1990, President Moura said, he received his “greatest blessing” when he was sealed to his wife, Andrea Moura, in the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple on Jan. 16, 1993.
Now as president of the Bahía Blanca Argentina Stake, he expressed deep gratitude for the blessing of having a temple in their city.
“It shows the great love that our Heavenly Father has for us,” President Moura said. “He knows the hearts and faithfulness of His children and families in this part of Argentine Patagonia.”
President Guzman’s family was introduced to the Church when they moved next to a Latter-day Saint family in 1985. They were invited to a home evening, which Guzman, then just 6 years old, and his siblings enjoyed so much that they asked their parents to attend again.
Soon after, missionaries began teaching them, and those who were of age were baptized on Aug. 28, 1985. President Guzman and his younger brother were baptized when they turned 8 years old.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ has profoundly blessed my life,” he said.
For President Guzman, the new house of the Lord is a demonstration of God’s love and the fulfillment of Nephi’s Book of Mormon prophecy in 1 Nephi 14:14: “I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
President Guzman said, “With this power found in the ordinances and covenants of the temple, we will be able to be better disciples of Jesus Christ, which will result in an acceleration of His work.”
Bahía Blanca Argentina Temple
Location: Avenida Alberto Pedro Cabrera and Luis Vera Road, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Announced: April 5, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: April 9, 2022, presided over by Elder Joaquin E. Costa, a General Authority Seventy
Dedicated: Nov. 23, 2025, by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 8 acres
Building size: 23,400 square feet
Building height: 98.4 feet
Temple district: 12 stakes and 4 districts in southern Argentina, from Santa Rosa in the north to Comodoro Rivadavia and Caleta Olivia in the south.
