The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the dedication date for the Salvador Brazil Temple and the groundbreaking dates for temples in Bolivia and Texas.
Salvador Brazil Temple
The Salvador Brazil Temple is opening for free public tours. The open house goes from Thursday, August 22, through Saturday, September 7, 2024 (excluding Sundays). The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, October 20, 2024. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the temple in two sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. UTC.
Salvador-Brazil-Temple-Rendering
An artist's rendering of the Salvador Brazil Temple.2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Prior to the open house, a media day will be held on Monday, August 19, 2024. Invited guests will tour the temple prior to the open house on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 20–21, 2024.
The dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to all units in the Salvador Brazil Temple district.
The Salvador Brazil Temple was announced in October 2018 by President Russell M. Nelson. “Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater,” he said before announcing 12 new temples, including the Salvador Brazil Temple.
There are 23 temples announced, under construction or operating in Brazil. The Salvador Brazil Temple will be the 11th temple in operation in the country. The 10 other operating temples are in Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple is under construction. The announced temples are in Florianópolis, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Londrina, Maceió, Natal, Ribeirão Prêto, Santos, São Paolo East, Teresina and Vitória.
Today, there are nearly 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil (more than any other country aside from the United States and Mexico) in approximately 2,175 congregations.
Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple
Groundbreaking services for the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple will be held on June 8, 2024. Elder Jorge F. Zeballos, South America Northwest Area President, will offer a dedicatory prayer and preside at the event. Attendance at the site will be by invitation only. Additional details will be made available as the date of the groundbreaking approaches.
The-Santa-Cruz-Bolivia-Temple-Rendering
The artistic rendering of the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple. 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.President Nelson announced the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple on Sunday afternoon, October 4, 2020.
The Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple will be the second temple in the country. Temples in Bolivia are the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple (dedicated in April 2000 by former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley), the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple (announced in October 2020) and the La Paz Bolivia Temple (announced in October 2021).
Missionaries began teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Andes Mission, in November of 1964. Today, Bolivia is home to more than 225,000 Latter-day Saints in over 270 congregations.
Austin Texas Temple
Groundbreaking services for the Austin Texas Temple will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Elder Michael A. Dunn, Second Counselor in the North America Southwest Area Presidency, will preside at the event and offer a dedicatory prayer. Attendance at the site will be by invitation only. Additional information will be available as the groundbreaking date approaches.
Austin-Texas-Temple
An artist's rendering of the Austin Texas Temple.2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.President Nelson announced this house of the Lord in April 2022. “I plead with you to counter worldly ways by focusing on the eternal blessings of the temple. Your time there brings blessings for eternity,” he said before announcing 17 new temples, including the Austin Texas Temple.
The temple will be built on a 10.6-acre site adjacent to an existing meeting house located at 1801 E. Park Street, Cedar Park, Texas. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet.
In addition to the Austin Texas Temple, the Lone Star State has eight other houses of the Lord in operation, under construction or announced. These are the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Houston Texas South, Lubbock, McKinney, McAllen, and San Antonio temples.
Located in the south-central United States, Texas was first visited by missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ in 1843. In 1898, about 300 Church members settled on land purchased by the Church in northeast Texas that would become the colony of Kelsey.
Church growth in Texas has been rapid in recent decades, with more than 132,000 Latter-day Saints in 1985 growing to just over 210,000 in 2000. Today, Texas is home to more than 385,000 members in around 750 congregations.
Latter-day Saints worship in temples for several reasons: to make sacred promises with God, to learn more about God’s plan for His children and the central role of Jesus Christ in that plan, and to unite families for eternity.