At the Aug. 8 groundbreaking ceremony of the Naga Philippines Temple, Elder Steven D. Shumway said this house of the Lord will be “a place of peace and sacredness, a place that will forever divide the light from the darkness of this world.”
Elder Shumway is a General Authority Seventy and member of the Philippines Area presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In his dedicatory prayer on the site, he pleaded that “as this temple expands Thy light and knowledge upon the earth, may all who live in this land and who come to this site open their hearts and minds to receive the truths and the joy of living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Information about and photos of the Saturday groundbreaking — also livestreamed online — were both published Aug. 8 on the Church’s Philippines Newsroom.
Among the religious, education, military and government leaders in attendance was Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, mayor of Naga City.
In his remarks at the groundbreaking, Elder Shumway said that “one of Heavenly Father’s greatest desires is to have each of His children home to live with Him again.”
He continued that God, to help His children return home, has given the gift of a Savior, whose atoning sacrifice makes it possible to overcome sin and death. Heavenly Father also gave the gift of temples, which “exist for the purpose of exalting families.”
“As we make and keep temple covenants, there flows into our lives a godly power that helps us to change trials and tribulations into triumphs,” said Elder Shumway, adding that “in the temple, we learn about Jesus Christ and how to apply His Atonement to our lives.”
He noted that the late President Jeffrey R. Holland visited the Philippines in 1999 as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Then-Elder Holland foresaw a day when temples would spread across the country, Elder Shumway said, and when local members would go from temples to bless the entire world.
“We are seeing this today as temples dot the land of the Philippines,” said Elder Shumway.
How do temples help these members bless the earth? “With the power of God that comes from temple covenants, the Filipino Saints will share the great and glorious truths of the gospel with this corner of the world so that others may come to know that this is God’s work.”
About the Naga temple, Church in the Philippines
The Naga temple is planned as a one-story building of approximately 18,850 square feet on Lot 1045-A-1-A Barangay of Concepcion Grande, in the city of Naga, Bicol, Philippines. An ancillary building and a meetinghouse are also planned for the 9.11-acre site.
On Oct. 2, 2022, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this house of the Lord for Naga.
This year alone, three temples were dedicated in the Philippines, doubling the country’s total from three to six operating houses of the Lord.
In total, the Philippines has 14 temples dedicated, under construction or announced.
Six of them have been dedicated: the Manila (in 1984), Cebu City (2010), Urdaneta (2024), Alabang (January 2026), Davao (May 2026) and Bacolod (May 2026) temples.
The Naga temple joins another two under construction: in Cagayan de Oro, since August 2024, and in Tacloban City, since January 2025.
That leaves five houses of the Lord in planning stages: in Santiago (announced 2022), Tuguegarao City (2023), Iloilo (2023), Laoag (2023) and San Jose del Monte (2025).
Since the Philippines opened for missionary work in 1961, Church growth in the country has been among the fastest in the world. By 1970, the Church had a presence on eight major islands.
The country is now home to more than 900,000 Latter-day Saints in around 1,400 wards and branches. With its high number of Church members, the Philippines has the fourth-largest population of Latter-day Saints in the world.
