Temple Construction Updates Noted

Hello again, everyone! Due to an impressive number of temple updates which have been provided, along with the vast number of changes I have made to the section for announced temples on my temple construction progress report (in light of new information I found and my reanalysis thereof), I thought it would be most effective if I again posted the latest version of that report in its' entirety. The updated report follows below.

But before I end this post by sharing that report, I also wanted to mention one additional item of Church news: the latest article in the ongoing Church news series: "This Week on Social". In this week's edition, posts from Church President Russell M. Nelson, Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Ronald A. Rasband, Dale G. Renlund, and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Sister Jean B. Bingham, Relief Society General President, covered the topics of the Rome Italy Temple open house, President Nelson's visit with those affected by the Paradise Campfire in California, trials and tribulations, the new curriculum, gospel study in general, among other highlights.

We live in a remarkable time where Church leaders can share inspirational messages and encouragement on various platforms of social media. In a day of frigid, contentious, and possibly unethical political environments around the world, when integrity and moral strength are held in derision, and where integrity is compromised as a lack of these values cause the very foundation of stable, wise, and just governments to plummet, it is wonderful that some platforms used by others to perpetuate half-truths or blatant falsehoods, to deny the very existence of truth, or to justify, cover up, or conceal misconduct that ought to be illegal, or to bully, threaten, or criticize others, can be used by others to uplift, inspire, encourage, and express love and support.

Sorry for that run-on sentence. I am grateful to have been able to share the latest Church news with you and look forward to your reactions to the latest version of my report. There may be changes coming to that report in the near or more distant future. I have one or two developments on which I am doing more research before making such changes, so stay tuned for that.

The updated report follows below. So as not to disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 1/23/19)

Note about future temple construction: I have previously referenced the statement made by Elder Larry Y. Wilson, who serves as the Temple Department Executive Director, to the effect that 80 temples were on a list of locations that would be considered for an official announcement within the 15 years following that statement. And although we may not know whether or not those 80 locations have been announced by late April 2032, it seems reasonable to believe that the Church could (and likely will) have at least 200 operating temples by or before Saturday April 6, 2030 (which will mark the Church’s bicentennial anniversary).

With the 12 temples announced during the October 2018 General Conference, the Church now has a total of 201 temples in any phase. With that and plans to accelerate the temple construction process in mind, it is more likely than not that there will be 200 operating temples by or before Saturday April 6, 2030 (which will mark the Church’s bicentennial anniversary), whether or not an official goal is made to do so. The Church would just need to complete 39 of the temples in various phases in the 11.20 years between now and then, which could be done if 3.48 temples are dedicated each year. Since 6 new temples will be dedicated within the next year, I can easily see the Church having 200 temples in operation by that date, and would anticipate there being more than that. Time will tell, but it seems to be a safe bet.

Current temple status: The Church has 201 temples in various phases. There are 161 in operation; while 3 others have a dedication scheduled; 7 more are currently in various phases of construction; 1 temple has construction pending following its’ groundbreaking; and 2 others has a groundbreaking scheduled. Also, 11 temples are currently closed for renovation (3 of which have a rededication announced, with 3 or 4 others that are also anticipated to be rededicated next year). The remaining 27 are announced, several of which are likely to have a groundbreaking in 2019 and the years following that.

During the October General Conference, President Nelson also announced that many more operating temples will be renovated in the near future, including several pioneer-era temples (most significantly the Salt Lake Temple), and that more information will be released in the coming months about which temples are closing, and what the renovations will involve and entail.

VIP/Media Tours Underway:

162. Rome Italy Temple: VIP/Media tours underway; accepting reservations for open house (through Saturday February 16); dedication scheduled for Sunday March 10-Tuesday March 12, 2019.

Dedication scheduled:

163. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Construction completed; preparing temple for public open house; painting and refreshing other buildings on site; dedication scheduled for Sunday April 14, 2019.

164. Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Construction completed; furnishing and preparing buildings for public open house; dedication scheduled for Sunday June 2, 2019.

165. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Interior drywall finished; stone installation underway in baptistry; door frames and crown moldings being installed; pouring concrete for parking lots; dedication scheduled for Sunday September 1, 2019.

Under construction; completion anticipated during 2019:

166. Durban South Africa Temple: Drywalling, painting, tiling, plumbing, and installing HVAC, electrical, and fire suppression equipment; adding more trees and plants; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

167. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Concrete slab poured for monument sign; adding hard landscaping structure on north side of temple; completion estimated sometime during late 2019.

Under construction; completion anticipated during 2019-2020:

168. Arequipa Peru Temple: Installing and testing exterior lighting; fencing being installed around perimeter; interior work progressing; completion estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

                                                                  

Under construction; completion anticipated during 2020:

169. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Stone cladding exterior walls and tower; stained-glass windows installed; completion estimated sometime during early 2020.

170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Building the temple foundation; wood framing and sheathing going up for meetinghouse; completion estimated sometime during mid-2020.

Under construction; completion anticipated sometime during 2020-2021:

171. Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple: Setting poles for construction barrier; completion estimated sometime during late 2020-early 2021.

Construction pending (completion anticipated sometime during 2021):

172. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Groundbreaking held on January 16, 2019; full-scale construction pending; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Groundbreaking scheduled:

173. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Old Church office building demolished; preparing for groundbreaking, which is scheduled for Saturday January 26, 2019 @ 10:00 AM; completion estimated sometime during mid-2022.

Note: Bangkok time is 14 hours ahead of Utah time, so the groundbreaking for this temple will take place @ 8:00 PM Friday January 25, 2019 Utah time.

174. San Juan Puerto Rico Temple: Trujillo Alto Ward chapel to close on January 19, 2019 in preparation for demolition; groundbreaking scheduled for Saturday May 4, 2019; completion estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note: The groundbreaking information for this temple was confirmed by a First Presidency announcement on January 17, 2019. Walter F. Gonzalez, President of the Caribbean Area of the Church, will preside at this ceremony.

Groundbreaking anticipated (official confirmation of timing pending)

175. Pocatello Idaho Temple: Government approval process; streets around temple site opened; groundbreaking anticipated in spring 2019.

Note: Although nothing has been confirmed in terms of the timing for this temple’s groundbreaking, since it is anticipated in spring 2019, I am estimating a more specific time-frame of mid-to-late April (which means it would occur prior to the already-announced groundbreaking for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple), or some point in May. It may even be possible that the Church could set it for May 4 (to coincide with the Puerto Rico Temple’s groundbreaking).

Undergoing Renovation (rededication scheduled)

80. Memphis Tennessee Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding completed; installing stained-glass windows; private rededication scheduled for Sunday May 5, 2019.

95. Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding entrance; landscaping underway; private rededication scheduled for Sunday May 19, 2019.

13. Oakland California Temple: Closed for renovation; interior work progressing; rededication scheduled for Sunday June 16, 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2019):

68. Raleigh North Carolina Temple: Closed for renovation; stone cladding exterior walls; temporary glass installed; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

94. Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple: Closed for renovation; exterior walls waterproofed; installing hanging brackets for exterior stone; stone cladding progressing on rear side of temple; installing lamp-posts; rededication estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; installing landscaping irrigation; planting trees and shrubs; completion estimated sometime during mid-to-late 2019.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2019-2020):

112. Asuncion Paraguay Temple: Closed for renovation; interior and exterior work underway; rededication estimated sometime during late 2019-early 2020.

                                                                                                                                  

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2020):

18. Tokyo Japan Temple: Closed for renovation; exterior and interior renovations underway; rededication estimated sometime during early-to-mid 2020.

16. Washington D. C. Temple: Closed for renovation; interior completely dismantled; Christmas lights on display as renovation work continues; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

8. Mesa Arizona Temple: Closed for renovation; installing water retention and irrigation systems; excavating for underground parking at Family Discovery Center; rededication may take place sometime during mid-to-late 2020.

Undergoing Renovation (rededication estimated sometime during 2021):

11. Hamilton New Zealand Temple: Closed for renovation; dismantling interior; rededication may take place sometime during early-to-mid 2021.

Note on announced temples: As noted previously, this section is split into two sub-categories. The first contains those for which there is sufficient information for me to estimate a rough window for a subsequent groundbreaking, which will, of course, be subject to alteration in the future as more information is available. The second section contains those temples which are ordered based on the information currently available, but for which more information will be needed before they can join the first list. And for that second list, I do not feel comfortable offering any groundbreaking estimate until more information is available. I reordered the list yet again on January 6-7, 2019.

Announced Temples (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):

176. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase; probable site identified; awaiting official confirmation and artist’s rendering; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

177. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Planning and preliminary construction phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited probable site on October 20, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

178. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; property fence installed around temple site; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

179. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited potential site on April 17, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated in late 2019.

180. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

181. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

182. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

183. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

184. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

185. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

186. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

187. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

188. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

189. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

190. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.

Announced Temples (for which more information is needed before I provide an estimated groundbreaking time-frame):

191. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

192. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

193. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

194. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

195. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

196. Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

197. Yigo Guam Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

198. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

199. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

200. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement.

201. Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement.

Key:

Bolded numbers and text denote temples whose numbers already exists (for renovations), or is certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain, such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.

Italicized numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings are scheduled.

Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose numbers may change based on progress towards planning, approval, and groundbreaking.

Changes since last report are highlighted in red.