The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will build 15 new houses of the Lord in the coming years. President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson made this announcement Sunday in the final session of the April 2023 general conference.
The temples will be built in the following locations:
- Retalhuleu, Guatemala
- Iquitos, Peru
- Teresina, Brazil
- Natal, Brazil
- Tuguegarao City, Philippines
- Iloilo, Philippines
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Hamburg, Germany
- Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
- San Jose, California
- Bakersfield, California
- Springfield, Missouri
- Winchester, Virginia
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
“Jesus Christ is the reason we build temples,” President Nelson said. “Each is His holy house. Making covenants and receiving essential ordinances in the temple, as well as seeking to draw closer to Him there, will bless your life in ways no other kind of worship can. For this reason, we are doing all within our power to make the blessings of the temple more accessible to our members around the world.”
Since becoming the senior Apostle in 2018, President Nelson has announced 133 new temples.
See the official list of all temples operating or in various stages of construction.
Learn more below about the Church of Jesus Christ in each of the 15 locations announced above.
Retalhuleu, Guatemala
Retalhuleu, with a population of about 90,000 residents, is located near the Pacific coast in southwestern Guatemala. This will be the sixth temple in the country. The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, dedicated in December 1984, was the first temple built in Central America and the fourth built in Latin America. The Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple was dedicated in December 2011. Other temples announced or under construction include the Cobán Guatemala Temple, Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple and Huehuetenango Guatemala Temple. The first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in Guatemala in 1947. Today, Guatemala is home to 287,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 440 congregations.
Iquitos, Peru
This will be the seventh temple in Peru. Iquitos is in northeast Peru along the Amazon River. It is one of the most populous cities in the country. The country is home to 630,000 Latter-day Saints spread across nearly 780 congregations. The first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in the country in 1956. Other temples announced, in operation, or under construction include the Arequipa Peru Temple, the Chiclayo Peru Temple, the Cusco Peru Temple, the Lima Peru Temple, the Trujillo Peru Temple, and the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple.
Teresina, Brazil
Teresina is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Piauí. The inland city is located in northern Brazil. Teresina and the surrounding area have a population of nearly one million residents. The first known members of the Church of Jesus Christ to live in Brazil immigrated from Germany in 1913. In 1988, Brazil became just the third country outside the United States to have 50 organized stakes (a group of congregations, like a diocese). Today, there are nearly 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil in about 2,175 congregations. In April 2017, President Russell M. Nelson said, “Brazil is part of the heart of the Church.”
The temple in Teresina is the 9th announced temple for Brazil, with dedicated temples located in Belém, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; one under construction in Salvador; and others announced in Belo Horizonte, São Paulo East, Londrina, Maceió, Natal (see below), Ribeirão Prêto, Santos and Vitória. The Brasilia Brazil Temple will be dedicated on September 17, 2023 by Elder Neil L. Andersen.
Natal, Brazil
Natal is the capital and largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, on Brazil’s northeastern coastal tip. It is known for its extensive coastal sand dunes. Brazil is the third country outside the United States to have 50 organized stakes (a group of congregations, like a diocese). The temple in Natal is the 20th announced temple for Brazil.
Tuguegarao City, Philippines
This will be the 11th temple in the Philippines. The City of Tuguegarao is the capital of Cagayan province on the northern part of the island of Luzon which is nearly 300 miles north of Manila. The Philippines is densely populated with nearly 114 million residents. The other 10 temples that are announced, under construction or in operation in the country include those in Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao, Manila, Naga, Santiago, Tacloban City, and Urdaneta.
Iloilo, Philippines
This will be the 12th temple in the country. Iloilo City is the capital of Iloilo province in the central Philippines. The city is about 400 miles south of Manila. There are more than 850,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 1,275 congregations in the Philippines. Since the country officially opened for missionary work in 1961, Church growth has been among the fastest in the world.
Jakarta, Indonesia
This will be the first temple in Indonesia. Jakarta is the country’s capital and largest city. It is on the northwest coast of Java, the most populous island in the world, with over 13 million people. The first missionaries arrived in Indonesia in 1970 and organized the first congregation one month later. Today, more than 7,500 Latter-day Saints in nearly 25 congregations live in Indonesia.
Hamburg, Germany
This will be the third house of the Lord in Germany. Hamburg is about 175 miles northwest of Berlin. The country is home to nearly 40,000 Latter-day Saints in about 150 congregations. Other temples in the country include the Frankfurt Germany Temple and the Freiberg Germany Temple.
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
This will be Canada’s 10th temple. Lethbridge, which is home to around 100,000 people, is found near the southern border of the western Canadian province of Alberta. Canada is home to nearly 200,000 Latter-day Saints in around 500 congregations. Other temples in Canada include the Calgary Alberta, Cardston Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Halifax Nova Scotia, Montreal Quebec, Regina Saskatchewan, Toronto Ontario, Winnipeg Manitoba and Vancouver British Columbia temples.
San Jose, California
This will be the 11th temple built in the state. San Jose, the third-largest city in California, is located south of the San Francisco Bay area. It is part of Silicon Valley, a major technology hub. California, situated on the West Coast of the United States, has nearly 730,000 Latter-day Saints in around 1,150 congregations. Other temples in the state include the Bakersfield (see below), Feather River, Fresno, Los Angeles, Modesto, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento, San Diego and Yorba Linda California Temples.
Bakersfield, California
This will be the 12th temple built in the state. Bakersfield, located a little more than 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is near Death Valley National Park and is part of the Sequoia National Forest in south-central California. Nearly 400,000 residents live in Bakersfield.
Springfield, Missouri
This will be the third temple in the state. Springfield is in southern Missouri near the Ozark Mountains. The St. Louis Missouri Temple was dedicated in June 1997, and the Kansas City Missouri Temple was dedicated in May 2012. Missouri is home to more than 75,000 Latter-day Saints in 160 congregations. In the 1830s, Independence, Missouri, and its surrounding counties were an important gathering place for Latter-day Saints in the early days of the Church.
Winchester, Virginia
This will be the second temple in the state. Winchester is in far northwest Virginia about 75 miles west of Washington, D.C. The Richmond Virginia Temple will be dedicated on May 7, 2023, by President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency. Virginia, Part of the East Coast of the United States, is home to more than 97,000 Latter-day Saints in over 215 congregations.
Charlotte, North Carolina
This will be North Carolina’s second temple. With a population of nearly 900,000 residents, Charlotte is the largest city in the state. North Carolina, located on the East Coast of the United States, is home to more than 94,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 180 congregations. The first missionary from the Church to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in North Carolina arrived in 1838. The Raleigh North Carolina Temple stands in the Raleigh suburb of Apex and was dedicated in 1999.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
This will be the third temple in the state. Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania, is found in the Susquehanna Valley in south-central Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple was dedicated in September 2016 by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency. The Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple is currently under construction. Pennsylvania is home to more than 52,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 100 congregations. The state was host to many significant events in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Much of the Book of Mormon was translated in the town of Harmony, and the first members of the Church were baptized in the Susquehanna River in May 1829.
Source: News Room
