Temple Site Possibilities: South America South Area, Part Three--Temple History & Composition of Current Districts

Hello again, everyone! As we continue the discussion of the South America South Area, it is time now to turn our attention to the history of the six temples that serve the Saints in the 4 nations of which this area is comprised. We will approach that discussion in the same order in which we have discussed other aspects of this area in previous posts, so we will start with Argentina, move on to Chile, then discuss  Paraguay, and finish by covering Uruguay. Let's get right into all of that.

As mentioned in my previous posts, Argentina has two in operation. The first (built in the capital city of Buenos Aires) became the Church's 39th one dedicated in this dispensation. That dedication took place from January 17-19, 1986 with President Thomas S. Monson, who had been called just two months prior to that as the Second Counselor in the First Presidency to President Ezra Taft Benson.

Following a renovation process, President Monson, who had then become the President of the Church, assigned President Henry B. Eyring to represent him in rededicating the temple, and that occurred on September 9. 2012.

When the second Argentinian temple (built in the city of Cordoba) was dedicated, the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple district was left to serve 50 stakes and 14 districts from the regions of Eastern and Southern Argentina. There may or may not be a need to divide this district, and I will share my thoughts about if, when, and how that could occur in my next post about this area.

In the meantime, we move on to the Cordoba Argentina Temple, which was dedicated on May 17, 2015 by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, thereby becoming the 145th operating temple built in this dispensation. Its district is comprised of 22 stakes and 8 districts that are headquartered in the northern and western areas of Argentina. There may or may not be a good reason for this district to split. I will explore that more in my next post.

That brings us to Chile. The first temple built in that nation is located in the capital city of Santiago. When the dedicatory sessions for this temple were held (from September 15-17, 1983, with President Hinckley, the only fully functioning member of the First Presidency at that time, presiding), it became the Church's 24th operating temple. Following its renovation, President Hinckley returned to rededicate that temple on March 12, 2006.

For the moment, the Santiago Temple serves 77 stakes and 16 districts in Chile. But when the Concepcion Chile Temple is dedicated (which, as previously noted, is anticipated to occur during the 4th quarter of next year), the stakes that are closer to Concepcion will fall within that city's temple district.

We now come to a discussion about the Asuncion Paraguay Temple. When President Hinckley  presided at the dedication of this temple, which occurred on May 19, 2002, it became the 112th in operation for the Church. Since it is now closed for renovation, it is currently anticipated that a rededication will take place during early-to-mid 2019. After the temple reopens, it will continue to serve 11 stakes and 8 districts in Paraguay, along with 4 stakes and 6 districts from Northeastern Argentina and the Ponta Pora stake from Brazil West Central area.

Concluding our discussion of the current temples within this area, we turn now to the Montevideo Uruguay Temple, which became the 103rd operating temple of the Church when it was dedicated on March 18, 2001. That temple district serves the Saints from 18 stakes and 3 districts in Uruguay.

Having shared all of this, that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post (which should be posted shortly and will focus on potential future temples that could soon be announced to help serve the Saints in this area), I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.