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    A Look Back at Temple Milestones in 2025

    Nine temple dedications, 20 construction starts and 16 announced new locations

     
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    RAZFH2UJGJBWLADGMM5DVTJ5BE.JPG
    With the Christus statue overlooking the temple grounds, attendees gather at the Nairobi Kenya Temple dedication in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
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    This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

    By Scott Taylor, Church News

    Temple milestones during 2025 for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints included the dedication of nine new houses of the Lord, the construction starts of 20 temples and the announcement of 16 new temple locations.

    Of note from the past year was the September 27 passing of Church President Russell M. Nelson, who had announced 200 temples during his administration of nearly eight years. He announced 15 new temple locations in the April 2025 general conference and then dedicated the Syracuse Utah Temple on June 8, the Church’s 206th dedicated house of the Lord.

    And President Dallin H. Oaks, who was set apart as the new President of the Church on October 14, announced in the October 2025 general conference that no new temples would be announced at the conference. It marked the first time since October 2017 that no new temple locations were announced in a general conference.

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    President Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks at the conclusion of general conference during the Sunday afternoon session at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 5, 2025.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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    But by the end of the year, an unexpected new location was announced in a new way.

    Following is a look at key milestones — dedications, groundbreakings, site announcements, rendering releases, name changes and new temple locations — from 2025.

    In the lists below, the word “Temple” has been omitted from each temple name, for brevity’s sake. Also, temple names have online links to the respective temple’s Church News Almanac page with more information and visual elements.

    Abidjan-Ivory-Coast-Temple-Dedication
    Abidjan-Ivory-Coast-Temple-Dedication
    Attendees leave the Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple dedication in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Sunday, May 25, 2025. All rights reserved.
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    End-of-Year Totals

    As of December 18, the end-of-the-year totals for temples in 2025 are:

    • 383 total temples
    • 211 dedicated temples
    • 7 temples scheduled for dedication
    • 8 temples under renovation or reconstruction
    • 55 temples under construction
    • 2 temples scheduled for groundbreaking
    • 48 temples with published site locations
    • 60 temples announced with specific sites not yet determined

    By comparison, the temple totals at the end of 2024 were:

    • 367 total temples
    • 202 dedicated temples
    • 2 temples scheduled for dedication
    • 9 temples under renovation or reconstruction
    • 49 temples under construction
    • 2 temples scheduled for groundbreaking
    • 54 temples with published site locations
    • 58 temples announced but without sites
    Auckland-New-Zealand-Temple-Dedication
    Auckland-New-Zealand-Temple-Dedication
    People receive shoe coverings as they enter the temple for the Auckland New Zealand Temple dedication service on Palm Sunday, 13 April 2025.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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    Dedications, Rededications, Open Houses

    After back-to-back years of double-digit temple dedications, the Church held dedication services in 2025 for nine new houses of the Lord.

    Newsroom Temple Open House, Dedications and Rededication Dates

    The nine temples dedicated, with dates and presiding leaders, are:

    Seven new temples have already been scheduled for dedication in the first six months of 2026. They are — by name, date and assigned leader:

    In 2025, one renovated house of the Lord was rededicated — the Toronto Ontario Temple, on March 23, by President Holland, then acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

    In addition to all the open houses announced for the new temples that were dedicated this year and scheduled for dedication so far in 2026, one additional temple open house was announced in 2025.

    On a February 14 social media post, President Nelson announced that an open house for the under-renovation Salt Lake Temple was tentatively set for 2027, from April to October.

    “A current and comprehensive renovation to strengthen this sacred house of the Lord for future generations is now nearing completion,” he wrote, adding that more details would be announced as the open house dates get closer.

    Groundbreakings in 2025

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    Members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple on September 25, 2025. 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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    The Church of Jesus Christ logged more than twice as many groundbreakings to start new temples as its number of dedications — 20 in total. That number includes five across the United States in as many states and in 14 additional countries, with two in Nigeria.

    Six of the groundbreakings were held on the African continent and three in Europe — the first starts in Europe of new houses of the Lord since the 2019 dedications of the Rome Italy and Lisbon Portugal temples.

    The 20 groundbreakings added that many to the 55 temples now under construction.

    The temples and dates of the groundbreakings in 2025 are:

    “Groundbreaking” might not be the best term for the start of the Brussels Belgium Temple, which is being built in an existing building. Rather, the site was dedicated in a service prior to the start of renovation and improvements.

    Nearly all groundbreaking ceremonies were presided over by a General Authority Seventy — but Elder Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered a prayer to dedicate the Tampa site and the temple’s construction process at the August 23 groundbreaking. Tampa has special significance to Elder Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen; it’s where she grew up and where the Andersens raised their family.

    Groundbreaking ceremonies in 2026 have already been announced for two houses of the Lord — the Jacksonville Florida and João Pessoa Brazil temples.

    No renovations or reconstructions were started or announced in 2025.

    Renderings, Sites and Renamings in 2025

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    -Jakarta-Indonesia-Temple-Rendering-
    An exterior rendering of the Jakarta Indonesia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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    The release of the site and exterior rendering of a new temple varies — sometimes the two are released at the same time, other times on separate dates. Sometimes renderings are released in conjunction with a groundbreaking or a groundbreaking announcement, as with the Kumasi Ghana Temple. For the Brazzaville Republic of the Congo Temple, the site and rendering were released at the same time the groundbreaking date was announced.

    And in the case of one, a new rendering was released on April 28 for the Fairview Texas Temple when the name was changed from the Prosper Texas Temple.

    A second temple was renamed in 2025, with the Dec. 15 announcement of the San Jose California Temple now to be known as the Sunnyvale California Temple.

    The 10 temples and dates where sites and renderings were released simultaneously in 2025 are:

    The 14 other temples where renderings were released in 2025 are:

    The additional four new temple sites released in 2025 are:

    New Temple Announcements

    A total of 16 new houses of the Lord were announced in 2025 — all but one by President Nelson during the April 2025 general conference.

    During the October 2025 general conference, President Oaks said there would be no new temple locations announced at that time.

    “With the large number of temples now in the very earliest phases of planning and construction, it is appropriate that we slow down the announcement of new temples,” he said at the start of his message that concluded the Sunday afternoon session.

    “Therefore, with the approval of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, we will not announce any new temples at this conference. We will now move forward in providing the ordinances of the temple to members of the Church throughout the world, including when and where to announce the construction of new temples.”

    Two months later, a new temple was announced in a Sunday evening, December 14, devotional for members of the Portland Maine Stake.

    “We’re pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Portland, Maine. The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later,” said the First Presidency statement read by Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy and President of the United States Northeast Area.

    The 16 temple locations new in 2025 are:

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