At the close of the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to build new 20 temples in new locations, increasing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ total temples — dedicated, under construction or in planning — to 335 worldwide.
And with those 20 new houses of the Lord identified Sunday, Oct. 1, President Nelson has announced 153 new temples in the five years and eight months he has served as President of the Church.
The 20 newly announced locations are:
- Savai’i, Samoa
- Cancún, Mexico
- Piura, Peru
- Huancayo, Peru
- Viña del Mar, Chile
- Goiãnia, Brazil
- João Pessoa, Brazil
- Calabar, Nigeria
- Cape Coast, Ghana
- Luanda, Angola
- Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Laoag, Philippines
- Osaka, Japan
- Kahului, Maui, Hawaii
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Vancouver, Washington
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Roanoke, Virginia
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
It marked the second time President Nelson has announced 20 temples — the most ever announced at one time. He announced 20 temples also during April 2021 general conference.
President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, speaks during the Sunday afternoon session of the 193rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 1, 2023.
Screenshot from YouTube.com
Spending more time in the temple builds faith, and service and worship in the temple will help one to “think celestial,” said President Nelson, underscoring the theme of his conference message.
In the temple Latter-day Saints are “shown how to progress toward a celestial life,” he said. “There you are drawn closer to the Savior and given greater access to His power. There you are guided in solving the problems in your life — even your most perplexing problems.”
The ordinances and covenants of the temple “are of eternal significance,” he added. “We continue to build more temples to make these sacred possibilities become a reality in each of your lives.”
Of that total number of 153 temples announced by President Nelson, seven houses of the Lord have already been dedicated, with four scheduled for dedication before mid-January 2024. Another 43 temples are under construction, with two additional temples scheduled for groundbreaking later this month.
And those 153 temples announced in less than six years make for nearly 46% of the Church’s 335 total temples — dedicated, under construction, under renovation or in planning and design.
President Nelson, age 99, participated remotely in October 2023 general conference, recuperating after a fall three weeks ago that injured the muscles in his lower back. He watched the sessions from home and prerecorded the temple announcements and his Sunday afternoon session remarks.
More on the new temple locations
The temples for Luanda, Angola, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will be the first in the respective nations.
A temple in Savai’i, Samoa, will be that Pacific nation’s second house of the Lord, joining the Apia Samoa Temple, which was dedicated in 1983 and rededicated in 2005 following renovations. The Pago Pago American Samoa Temple is under construction on the nearby U.S. territory island.
A temple for Cancún will be the 24th overall in Mexico. The North American country has 13 dedicated and operating temples — the first being the Mexico City Mexico Temple, dedicated in 1983, with others f found in Ciudad Juarez, Colonia Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, and Villahermosa. Temples under construction are in Puebla, Querétaro and Torreón. And temples have been announced for Mexico City Benemérito, Cuernavaca, Culiacán, Pachuca, San Luis Potosí, Toluca and Tula.
With the announcement of temples for Piura and Huancayo, Peru will have nine total temples. Operating temples are the Lima Peru Temple (1986), Trujillo Peru Temple (2015) and Arequipa Peru Temple (2019), with the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple scheduled for a Jan. 14, 2024, dedication. Three other temples have been announced in the past 18 months — in Chiclayo, Cusco and Iquitos.
A temple in Viña del Mar will be Chile’s fifth overall. The Santiago Chile Temple (dedicated in 1983 and rededicated in 2006) and Concepción Chile Temple (2018) are…
Read More: Temples announced by President Nelson in October 2023 general conference