Five new temples are announced
By Sarah Jane WeaverChurch News staff writer
Published: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Click here for additional conference photos and articles
In the opening moments of the Church's 179th Semiannual General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to build five new temples. With 130 temples currently operating and with another 16 in some phase of planning or construction, these five temples bring the worldwide total to 151.
The locations of the new temples will be Brigham City, Utah; Concepcion, Chile; Fortaleza, Brazil; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Sapporo, Japan, said President Monson. The exact temple sites will be made known at a later date.
"We continue to build temples," he said. "We desire that as many members as possible have an opportunity to attend the temple without having to travel inordinate distances. Worldwide, 88 percent of our members live within 200 miles of a temple. That percentage will continue to increase as we construct new temples around the world."
Brigham City will be home to Utah's 14th temple. Two Utah temples were dedicated earlier this year; the Draper Utah Temple, dedicated in March, and the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple dedicated in August.
The Concepcion Chile Temple will be the second temple in Chile. The first, the Santiago Chile Temple, was dedicated in September 1983 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the First Presidency. There are currently 14 temples operating in South America, with another three announced and in some phase of construction.
There are five operating temples in Brazil. In May 2007 the Church announced plans to build a temple in Manaus, Brazil, making a temple in Fortaleza, Brazil, the seventh in that country. There are now more than 1,060,000 members of the Church in Brazil.
The temple in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., will serve members living throughout South Florida, as well as the Bahamas. There are currently eight temples in the southeastern part of the United States.
The Sapporo temple will become the third in Japan and the sixth in Asia. Dedicated in October 1980, the Tokyo Japan Temple was the first temple in Asia. The Fukuoka Temple was dedicated in June 2000, and became the 88th temple worldwide.
"Millions of ordinances are performed in the temples each year in behalf of our deceased loved ones," President Monson said. "May we continue to be faithful in performing such ordinances for those who are unable to do so for themselves.
"I love the words of President Joseph F. Smith as he spoke of temple service and of the spirit world beyond mortality. Said he: 'Through our efforts in their behalf, their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their people here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment