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Specific Estimates
for Known Temple Events in the Near Future
2019:
Saturday &
Sunday April 6 & 7: 189th General Conference
Note: Because 19 temples were announced in 2018
(which may have been President Nelson’s way of starting slowly), and because of
all that has been said in the last year about his plans to greatly expand the
number of temples, I have a strong feeling that he will both be outlining the
extent of those plans and the timing within which those will occur. But even if
he does not do that, I have a feeling he will be announcing at least a dozen
temples, but possibly more than that.
Sunday April 14:
Dedication of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple (163rd
operating temple; confirmed)
Note: Just prior to the April General Conference
in 2018, the Church announced that President Nelson would be heading out on a
Global Ministry Tour, and the following October, he did another leg of that
tour that concluded with the dedication of the Concepcion Chile Temple. It is
my belief, therefore, that he will be headed out on yet another leg of that
ongoing tour not long after General Conference concludes, and that the
dedication of this temple will occur at the beginning, or at some point in the
middle of that tour.
Saturday May 4:
Groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico
Temples
Note: In mid-January the First
Presidency released the artist’s rendering for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple,
and announced the groundbreaking for that temple less than a week later. Elder
Walter F. Gonzalez, president of the Church's Caribbean Area, will preside at
that ceremony. In early-to-mid February, the artist’s renderings for the Yigo
Guam and Praia Cabo Verde Temples were also released, with their
groundbreakings set to occur on May 4 as well. Elders Yoon Hwan Choi (the
president of the Asia North Area) and Paul V. Johnson, (the president of the
Europe Area) will preside at the groundbreakings in Yigo and Praia respectively.
The time in Guam is ahead of that in Cabo Verde, which is ahead of the time in
Puerto Rico, so I am listing them in that order. Since the construction for
each of those temples is anticipated to take 2 years, I am estimating that all
of them will be dedicated in early-to-mid 2021.
Sunday May 5:
Private rededication of the Memphis Tennessee Temple (confirmed)
Note: On January 16, 2019, the First Presidency
announced the private rededication of this temple would take place in a single
session on this date, and that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland would preside at the
rededication. Although it was originally announced that no open house tours
would be offered, on February 28, 2019, the First Presidency subsequently
announced that a one-week open house would be held for this temple in
mid-April.
Saturday May 11:
Groundbreaking for the Quito Ecuador Temple (confirmed)
Note: The First Presidency released the artist’s
rendering and announced the groundbreaking arrangements for this temple on
March 7, 2019. Elder Enrique R. Falabella, president of the South America
Northwest Area, will preside at this event. Construction on this temple is
anticipated to take between 2-3 years.
Sunday May 19: Private
rededication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple (confirmed)
Note: On January 16, 2019, the private
rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple was also announced.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, will
preside at the single-session rededication. On February 28, 2019, in
conjunction with the aforementioned announcement of the one-week open house for
the Memphis Tennessee Temple, an identical arrangement was set (with slightly
different timing) for this temple.
Sunday June 2:
Dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple (165th operating temple;
confirmed)
Note: On January 10, 2019, the First Presidency
announced this temple’s dedication. In an unusual (but not unexpected) move,
that dedication has been scheduled to occur two weeks prior to the rededication
of the Oakland California Temple. To the best of my knowledge, this is the
first time a dedication has been set to occur prior to a rededication which has
previously been announced. Usually, a temple’s rededication has been set to
occur prior to a previously-announced temple dedication. As noted on other
temples, President Nelson could preside at this event himself, or he could
delegate one of his counselors or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles to do so.
Saturday June 8:
Groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple
Note: On March 7, 2019, the groundbreaking for
this temple was also announced. Since this temple is also being built within
the South America Northwest Area, Elder Falabella will preside over this as
well. And based on the fact that the design of this temple reminds me of the
Mesa Arizona Temple, I am anticipating a 3-4 year construction period for that
process.
Sunday June 16: Rededication
of the Oakland California Temple (confirmed)
Note: This temple’s rededication was announced on
December 18, 2018. As noted above, the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil
Temple, announced almost a month later, has been set to occur before this
temple’s rededication.
Monday July 8:
Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Closure
Note: On January 30, 2019, the First Presidency
announced the renovation closure for this temple, with the plans to be detailed
more fully at a later time. I am anticipating that that process will take
around 3 years, so I have set a preliminary estimate of mid-to-late 2022.
Early-to-mid August:
Private rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple
Note: While I once felt certain that the
rededications for both this temple and the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple could
take place during this time, new information received in late February led me
to rethink that, and I now believe that this temple’s renovation may wrap up
during early summer, with a rededication taking place sometime during the
early-to-middle part of this month. And I also believe this temple will have a
one-week open house, and a private, one-session rededication, under the
direction of any of the 7 most senior apostles (Presidents Nelson, Oaks,
Eyring, or Ballard, or Elders Holland, Uchtdorf, or Bednar).
Sunday September 1:
Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165th operating
temple; confirmed)
Note: On November 14, 2018, the First Presidency
announced the open house and dedication information for this temple (with the
latter originally set for mid-May). Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication
was pushed back to this date in view of delays in the construction process. It
is possible that President Nelson could preside at this temple’s dedication,
and that perhaps that would be done as part of a Global Ministry Tour, but time
will tell whether he dedicates this temple, or delegates that task to either of
his counselors, or any of the 4 most senior members of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles.
Sunday September
15: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (166th operating
temple; confirmed)
Note: On February 22, 2019, I received new
information which indicated that the Lisbon Portugal Temple, which has
continued to progress ahead of schedule, would likely be dedicated sooner than
anticipated. As a result, in late February-early March, I moved this temple
ahead of the Durban South Africa Temple on my temple construction progress
report. Then, on March 4, 2019, the First Presidency announced the open house
and dedication information for this temple. What I noted above in terms of who
might preside at this event (and under what circumstances that might occur)
applies to this event as well.
Saturday &
Sunday October 5 & 6: 189th Semiannual General Conference:
Note: Depending on what is done by this time to
clear the existing backlog of announced temples, it seems more likely than not
that several new temples will be announced during this weekend.
Sunday October 20: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple
(confirmed)
Note: New information received on February 22,
2019 indicated that the Frankfurt Germany Temple was anticipated to be
dedicated in October. Then, on March 5, 2019, the First Presidency officially
announced that this temple would be rededicated on this date. I am anticipating
that the First Presidency will ask Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, our native German
apostle who is also the third most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles and the sixth most senior apostle overall, to represent them in
rededicating this temple, both because it would be personal for him and because
he has had experience dedicating other temples during his near-decade of
service in the First Presidency.
Monday November 4:
St. George Utah Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)
Note: This temple’s renovation was announced on
January 25, 2019. Given the fact that seismic and systemic updates are
anticipated to occur, I have set a preliminary general completion estimate of
mid-to-late 2022.
Early-to-mid November: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (167th
operating temple)
Note: The Arequipa
Peru Temple has been ahead of schedule for a while now, and a Church member
living in Peru spotted the cornerstone engraving, which reads: “Erected 2019”.
With that in mind, I feel reasonably confident that this temple will be
dedicated at around this time, and that this temple could thus likely be
dedicated before the Durban South Africa Temple dedication occurs, due to the
relatively consistent process on this temple vs. that one.
Mid-to-late November: Rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
Note: On February 22, 2019, I also learned that
the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple could be rededicated at some point in October.
But in view of the March 5, 2019 announcement of the rededication for the
Frankfurt Germany Temple, I have pushed my estimate for this temple’s
rededication (which will likely be done privately) to this period of time.
December:
Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168th operating
temple)
Note: On February 22, 2019, I received information
which indicated that, due to blackout conditions in South Africa, depending on
how long that lasts, the temple in Durban might experience a delay towards its’
completion. Until I know one way or another whether or not that is true, I have
moved my estimate to this point, and have pushed my estimate for the Arequipa
Peru Temple dedication forward. If I find evidence in the future that no delays
will prevail to this extent on the Durban temple, I will be sure to alter my
estimate again as needed.
Final note on 2019: Given what I have heard about 2019, it seems
more likely than not that several temples will have a groundbreaking at some
point during that year. With groundbreakings held so far for the Urdaneta
Philippines, Bangkok Thailand, and Pocatello Idaho Temples, groundbreakings have
also been confirmed for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico,
Quito Ecuador, and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples. I am also anticipating that groundbreakings
may be held for the Saratoga Springs Utah, Brasilia Brazil, Nairobi Kenya,
Harare Zimbabwe, and Greater Manila Philippines Temples, most (if not all) of
which could have a groundbreaking this year. But in view of the unexpected
announcement of the groundbreakings for 3 of the temples President Nelson
announced last year, we could also see other temples have a groundbreaking by
that time as well.
2020:
Mid-January: Dedication
of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169th operating temple)
Mid-March: Rededication
of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple
Saturday &
Sunday April 4 & 5: 190th Annual General Conference
Note: Barring anything unexpected, I would
anticipate several new temples being announced during this weekend.
June: Rededication
of the Tokyo Japan Temple
Early-to-mid
August: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170th operating
temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 3 & 4: 190th Semiannual General Conference
Note: Temple announcements are always possible, so
it is not hard to believe that a few could be announced during this General
Conference.
Mid-September:
Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple
Mid-November:
Dedication of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple (171st operating
temple)
Note: At the groundbreaking for this temple (which
occurred on November 8, 2018), Elder Neil L. Andersen, who presided at this
event and gave his remarks in French, noted that construction of the temple was
anticipated to take around two years. For that reason, I am moving my previous
estimate for this temple’s dedication up to this point.
Mid-December:
Rededication of the Washington DC Temple
Final note on
2020: Some of the announced temples that will have a groundbreaking between
now and the end of 2019 could potentially be dedicated during this year. And
several other announced temples (I currently have 7 on my radar) could have a
groundbreaking during 2020 as well.
2021:
Saturday &
Sunday April 3 & 4: 191st Annual General Conference
Note: Depending on what happens between now (early
December 2018) and the dates for this General Conference, I could easily see
several new temples announced.
Mid-March:
Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (172nd operating temple
Mid-to-late April:
Dedication of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (173rd operating temple)
Late April-early
May: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174th operating
temple)
Mid-to-late May: Rededication
of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
June: Dedication
of the Quito Ecuador Temple (175th operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 2 & 3: 191st Semiannual General Conference
Note: I am hoping that by the time this particular
General Conference weekend rolls around, the temple construction program of the
Church will have progressed to the point where some temples will continue to be
announced every six months.
Mid-to-late
October: Rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple
Note: This is just a projected estimate, based on
what is currently known. As more information is revealed, this estimate could
be pushed forward or back as needed.
Mid-November: Dedication
of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (176th operating temple)
Mid-December:
Rededication of the St. George Utah Temple
Note: What I shared above about the probable
timing of the rededication for the Hong Kong China Temple also applies here: As
more information is made available, and as the renovation process proceeds, I
will be sure to make any adjustments to this estimate that might be needed.
Final note on
2021: If, as anticipated, several more temples are announced in 2019 and
2020, and any which have not yet had a groundbreaking have that occur within
that same time period, that in turn will multiply the number of known temple
events which will likely occur in 2021 and the years beyond. As more is learned
about future temple renovations, that will also have an impact on the number of
future events.
2022:
Saturday &
Sunday April 2 & 3: 192nd Annual General Conference
Note: Since the face of the Church’s temple
construction program will likely look entirely different by this time, I would
anticipate the announcement of several new temples.
Mid-to-late April:
Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (177th operating
temple)
Mid-August:
Dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (178th operating
temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 1 & 2: 192nd Semiannual General Conference
Note: As
noted above (for the 2022 April General Conference), by this time, it is more
likely than not that the face of the Church’s temple construction program will
be looking entirely different. With that in mind, it seems more likely than not
that other temples could be announced during this General Conference.
Mid-November:
Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (179th operating temple)
Note: Because this temple is significantly larger
than temples which have been built in recent years, delays in that construction
process are more likely than not. It is also worth noting that the official
number for this temple is almost certain to change as other temples have a
groundbreaking and construction and are potentially completed before this one
is.
Final note: As
noted a few different times here, within the 3.9 years or so between now and
the end of 2022, the face of the Church’s temple construction program will
likely look very different. We currently have a Church President who has
clearly prioritized bringing the temples to the people, and the fact that he announced
19 new temples within his first year as such verifies that beyond doubt. I also
am equally certain he will do all he can to clear the existing backlog of
announced temples. With that in mind, there will likely be many more temple
events to add to this list in the future. I am committed to bringing updates in
that regard to you all as I receive them.
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