Ground Broken for Brasília Brazil Temple 

Church leaders in Brazil held a small groundbreaking ceremony for the Brasília Brazil Temple on Saturday, September 26, 2020. Attendance at the event was limited because of current COVID-19 social guidelines.  

“I am so happy. I know that the people here in Brasília are very happy too. Besides the Brasílians, there are many more people throughout Brazil that are happy as well,” said Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, Brazil Area President, who presided over the event and offered the dedicatory prayer. 

Elder Parrella was joined by Elder Joaquin E. Costa and Elder Joni L. Koch of the Brazil Area Presidency, as well as Damares Alves, Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights in Brazil. 

“We had temples in ancient times, we have temples today. We had prophets and apostles, we have prophets and apostles today,” said Elder Costa.  

Church President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to construct the Brasília Brazil Temple in April 2017. 

“Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, our Savior. He is a real being and, in fact, He is looking and following everything that is happening here this morning, because this is not my work or our work, it is the work of His Father and this is the Church of Jesus Christ,” said Elder Parrella. 

In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Parrella asked to, “bless us so that we continue to strive to be good citizens who serve and bless our neighbors and to never forget the poor and needy.”  

Brazil's newest temple will be located on a six-acre site at SGA/Norte Quadra 612 – Lote “C” in Brasília. Plans call for a single-story building of approximately 25,000 square feet. Patron housing and a new meetinghouse will also be built on the site. 

The temple will be the country’s 11th. Other temples in the country include the Belém Brazil, Campinas Brazil, Curitiba Brazil, Fortaleza Brazil, Manaus Brazil, Porto Alegre Brazil, Recife Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, São Paulo Brazil and Salvador temples. There are more than 1.4 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil. 

Details for the open house and temple dedication upon its completion will be announced at a future date. 

Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord.” Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses. Unlike meetinghouses, where Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and are closed on Sundays. 

The primary purpose of temples is for faithful Latter-day Saints to participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.