News for Temples in Brazil and the Philippines

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the groundbreaking date for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple. An artist’s rendering of the João Pessoa Brazil Temple has also been released.

Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple

Groundbreaking services will be held for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple on August 31, 2024. Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr., Philippines Area President, will preside at the event.

The Cagayan de Oro Temple was announced during the closing session of general conference in April 2018 by Church President Russell M. Nelson.

“Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life,” the prophet said before announcing seven temples, including this new house of the Lord in the Philippines.

The Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple will be built on a 4.9-acre site at Lot 2163-c and Lot 2163-d Rosario Limketkai Avenue, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.

Plans for the Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple call for a two-story structure of approximately 18,449 square feet (1,714 square meters). An ancillary building will also be constructed, including an arrival center, patron housing and distribution center.

Thirteen temples are either announced, under construction or in operation in the Philippines: the Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Davao, Iloilo, Laoag, Manila, Naga, Santiago, Tacloban City, Tuguegarao City and Urdaneta Temples.

The first temple in the Philippines (Manila) was dedicated in 1984 by former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008).

There are more than 865,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 1,300 congregations in the Philippines. The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ began in 1961 in the country, where Church growth has been among the fastest in the world.

João Pessoa Brazil Temple

An artistic rendering of the João Pessoa Brazil Temple has been released.

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The site location was released in 2023. This house of the Lord will be constructed on a 3.9-acre site located at Rua Paulino Pinto and Avenida Ministro José Américo de Almeida in the Cabo Branco neighborhood. Plans call for a temple of approximately 18,850 square feet.

President Russell M. Nelson announced the João Pessoa Brazil Temple in October 2023. “The Lord is directing us to build these temples to help us think celestial. God lives. Jesus is the Christ. His Church has been restored to bless all of God’s children,” the prophet said after 20 new temples were announced, including the one in João Pessoa.

Brazil has 23 temples in use, announced or under construction.

The Ribeirão Preto, Belo Horizonte and Salvador Temples (dedication date October 20, 2024) are in the construction phase of development.

The 10 operating temples are in Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. There are 10 temples announced in Florianópolis, Goiânia, João Pessoa, Londrina, Maceió, Natal, 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.

Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began preaching in southern Brazil in 1928. The Portuguese translation of the Book of Mormon was published in 1940, igniting a new era of growth in the country, including temples.

Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to participate in sacred ceremonies that unite families forever.