Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency announced the groundbreaking for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple, released a site location and exterior rendering for the Tuguegarao Philippines Temple, and released preliminary information for the Culiacan Mexico Temple. There's a lot to get into, so let's start right in:
Though the Newsroom release shares these updates in a different order, I am starting with the groundbreaking for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple, which has been scheduled to occur on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy currently serving as President of the Church's North America Central Area, will preside at that groundbreaking. Obviously, though, future oversight of that temple will be under the purview of the new Canada Area presidency beginning in August 2025.
Given that the groundbreaking is set for late April, other groundbreakings announced after today could potentially be held before this one. As reflected in this document, which shows a side-by-side comparison of the groundbreakings in 2024 and 2025, the current fifth temple groundbreaking for 2025 will be held roughly 1.5 months before the first anniversary of the fifth temple groundbreaking in 2024. So, temple groundbreakings in 2025 will continue to outpace what we saw in 2024. I'm sure we will see other temple groundbreakings this year that will continue to outpace 2024.
Since the rendering of the Tuguegarao Philippines Temple speaks for itself, we now turn to its announced parameters. The single-story temple, which will be approximately 18,850 square feet, will rise on a 5.3-acre site just south of Enrile Avenue, Cariq Regional Centre, Tuguegarao, Philippines. Patron housing units and a distribution center are also planned for the project. The temple was initially announced at the April 2023 General Conference. If any of you have any comments about the rendering in question, I warmly welcome them.
We now wrap up today's news with some preliminary information about the Culiacan Mexico Temple. The planned single-story edifice, which will be approximately 10,000 square feet, will rise on a 5-acre site off of Avenida Milenium in the Colonia Country Tres Rios, between the cross streets of Miguel Tamayo Espinoza de los Monteros and Boulevard José María Figueroa Díaz. The temple project will include adjacent patron housing.
Given the announced size, I will not be shocked if it is another modular temple. The Church seems to have recently increased the number of modular temples, so it seems safe to make that assumption. I am grateful to have learned of these updates and for the chance to share them with you all. Stay tuned here for updates from the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples sites. I'll be sure to pass word of those along to you all as soon as I learn about them. In the meantime, that does it for now.
All comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated on any post at any time, as long as all such feedback is made per the established guidelines. I hope any of you who would like to share anything will take your opportunity to "sound off" in the comments below. If you liked what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added posts and comments, please subscribe for the applicable updates. If you would like to support the work done on this blog, donations in any amount are always welcome and appreciated but never required.
Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Hello again, everyone! I have also taken the liberty of updating my list tracking the announced temples for which no official information has been confirmed yet (reflecting that the number of announced temples lacking official information now stands at 54), and the reworked and updated sections of my temple construction progress report. Additional updates from the Church News and Newsroom will follow. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteSeveral additional updates have been published by the Newsroom and the Church News. Let's dive right in. First up, from the Church News comes reports of the updates on the temples in the Philippines and Mexico and the Lethbridge temple groundbreaking. And the Church News shared an additional update on the growth of the Church in Chile.
DeleteMeanwhile, the Newsroom has provided apostolic ministry updates on Elders David A. Bednar in Europe and the Middle East and D. Todd Christofferson in West Africa. Elder Bednar has apostolic oversight for the parts of Europe and the Middle East in which he's visiting, and Elder Christofferson is the senior apostle on the Church Board of Education, which is why he went to open a Global Education Center in Lagos Nigeria.
The Newsroom also provided a ministry update for Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, who is visiting several Pacific Island nations, and a FamilySearch update from South America that otherwise speaks for itself. My thanks once again to you all.
The Newsroom provided
Sorry for the typo in my last comment. The latest edition of the latest edition of the Church News podcast has been released. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd sorry for the additional errors in my last comment as well.
DeleteA status update has been reported on the Burley Idaho Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has published two new reports about RootsTech 2025. Elder Patrick Kearon iof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is on assignment in the Caribbean Area of the Church, where he is touring multiple regions. And the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square have arrived in Peru for the next leg of their multi-year global ministry tour. With no additional reports from the Newsroom, and no temple construction status updates to pass along as of yet today, if any other reports cross my radar, I will pass those along as soon as I can. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteSorry, I apparently forgot this link to the article about Elder Kearon's Caribbean ministry. My apologies for the oversight, and my thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News has shared one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThank you James for the report.
ReplyDeleteHere in the Southamerica Northwest Area the Tabernacle Choir concert will be broadcasted to all stake centers, and we have been instructed to invite recent converts, returning members and friends of the church as well; we believe this will spark a lot of missionary referrals!
That's so cool, Other Noah. Thanks for sharing that. I appreciate hearing from you.
DeleteOn this Thursday, I have tried to comment a few times here to share the latest Church News, Newsroom, and Church Temples updates. Hopefully third time's the charm. The Newsroom has posted two new reports, which I will let speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News has posted"https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2025/02/20/tabernacle-choir-orchestra-announce-hope-tour-brazil-2026/" >a total of four new reports, with that last one being the next batch of 16 new mission leader couples. I didn't expect that until tomorrow. Given the trouble I've had posting today, I will let those biographies speak for themselves and just add that I hope that the Church may soon publish the next batch of new temple leader biographies.
I just want to conclude with this: a new update on the Bahia Blanca Argentina Temple indicates that major construction has been completed, while new updates on the Elko Nevada and >a href="https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/alabang-philippines-temple/" >Alabang Philippines Temples indicate that major construction is nearing completion on both temples.
With now 4 temples that are completed and awaiting the announcement of their opening arrangements, and three others noting that major construction is nearing completion, I am hoping the next few weeks see the announcement of opening arrangements for at least a few of those 7. I will also note that those dedications might be scheduled several months in advance of what I have thought and projected. With that in mind, most of those7 might potentially be dedicated before July, or we could see July dedications for some of them for the first time since the Hinckleyan era. My thanks once again to you all.
Sorry for the typos in the comment above. The Church News coverage ,of the Choir's announcement today can be found here. And the Church News also shared one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe First Presidency has released the list of new Temple Presidents and Matrons across the world including my very own Harare Zimbabwe Temple
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2025/02/21/2025-new-temple-presidents-and-matrons-assignments/
Thank you, Nigel! I saw that a bit before your comment came in, but I've had a bit of a busy day, so this is my first chance to respond. Glad to see that the Harare Zimbabwe Temple had a president and matron announced. I will have further analysis on those temple leader couples shortly, but in the meantime, thanks for making sure we all saw this. I appreciate hearing from you!
DeleteHello again, everyone! After what has been a busy Friday for me, I am here to share some thoughts about the Church News, Newsroom, and Church of Jesus Christ Temples updates that have crossed my radar throughout the day. We start with some temple construction updates: status changes have been reported on the Elko Nevada and Alabang Philippines Temples, both of which indicate that major construction is nearing completion. There may be other temple construction updates, but I wanted to share those first as a little background to my analysis of the calls of new temple presidents and matron as reported in the Newsroom and the Church News. There were a total of 79 new couples identified, many of whom have already had biographies featured in the Church News.
ReplyDeleteSome observations right out of the gate. There was at least one glaring omisssion: from the list of temples: the Alabang Philippines Temple, for which a new president has not yet been identified. I don't know what that might tell us (if anything) about how soon that temple might be dedicated. It's also worth noting that for 3 of the 79, their leaders will be announced later. Those 3 temples are: Guadalajara Mexico (not sure why that is), Kyiv Ukraine (which is still in the middle of volatile wartime conditions), and Panama City Panama (not sure why that is either). Also, we did get word of the new leaders for the Davao Philippines, Elko Nevada, and (as noted) Harare Zimbabwe Temples, each of which will almost certainly be dedicated by or before the end of this year.
There was one error with the Newsroo and Church News releases on this today: The links on the names of the leaders for the Lindon Utah Temple lead to this article, in which the leaders for the Nairobi Kenya, Grand Junction Colorado, and Syracuse Utah Temples are featured. Not sure of the reason for that oversight, as the actual couple whose names are linked have not yet been featured in the Church News.
Other than these notes, and that several former area seventies are among the called presidents, I will let the links speak for themselves. I look forward to continuing to follow the biographies that are featured in the Church News, and I will share some more in-depth analysis on those couples as they are featured. I will be back shortly to share other Church News and Newsroom reports. My thanks once again to you all.
I am back as promised with some additional Newsroom and Church News updates: First up is a report on how today's Relief Society sisters can learn from the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. The Church News also highlighted Elder Gerrit W. Gong's ministry in the Mexico Area of the Church and Elder Gary E. Stevenson's similar ministry in the Church's Brazil Area. I know for a fact that Elder Gong has apostolic oversight for Mexico, but am less sure that Elder Stevenson has the same apostolic oversight for Brazil. Elsewhere in South America, the Choir gave its' first concert in Peru. The latest edition of "This Week on Social" was also published.
DeleteIt featured social media content from the following general leaders: President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency; Elders David A. Bednar (who ministered recently in the Middle East/Africa North and Europe Central Areas), Neil L. Andersen, and Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; the entire Relief Society General Presidency (President Camille N. Johnson and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters J. Anette Dennis and Kristin M. Yee); Sister Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency; Young Men General President Steven J. Lund (via Young Men Worldwide) and his First Counselor, Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox.
The Newsroom also posted two reports on Elder Gong's ministry in Mexico, which confirms to me that Elder Gong does have oversight for the Mexico Area. My thanks once again to you all.
I forgot to mention that updates have been provided on the statuses of the Davao Philippines and Phnom Pehn Cambodia Temples (with Phnom Pehn's estimate adjusted up from mid-to-late 2026 to mid-2026), and that the Ephraim Utah Temple has moved ahead of the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple, with status updates provided for both as well. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteApparently, since I discovered those updates, the estimate for the Ephraim Utah Temple has been adjusted up to mid-to-late 2025, with the Willamette Valley Oregon and Yorba Linda California Temples in late 2025. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI'm hoping and praying for several more temple groundbreakings this year. It would be nice to see some every week, especially in the latter half of the year. (Even in July when many General Authorities take time off for family. (I think at last 6 have had groundbreakings in July). I also hope the last half of the year is busy with groundbreakings. I would be cool to see one or more over the Thanksgiving weekend probably presided by a local GA seventy(probably not in the USA that weekend) but we can still reference thanks to our Father and Savior for significance of the holiday. I hope to see multiple groundbreakings-in-the-same-day several times. I anticipate several more site announcements, architectural renderings and open houses/dedications announced each week. There is a lot of backlog I Hope we can catch up on. Before Summer and into the fall.
DeleteHey, Chris! Thanks for taking time to comment. I do think several other temple groundbreakings will be set in the near term, especially ones we may not expect (which was the case for the Antananarivo Madagascar Temple groundbreaking announcement). In an earlier comment further up on this page, I referenced this document, which shows that, so far, 2025 is outpacing 2024 thus far by about 6 weeks., and that seems on track to continue. I do think at least one July groundbreaking is possible.
DeleteAs far as temple dedications, I think we'll see a few more announced in the next couple of months, though it is likely that some currently completed or soon-to-be completed US temples may only have their dedications in August. It is possible that a few temples outside the US could potentially have their dedications in July, even with that month being the typical recess month for General Authorities, specifically apostles. The short window for the open house of the Syracuse Utah Temple caught me off guard, as did the dedication window, so that could happen again with other temples. I hope that the Church is able to fill out the calendar with dedications, since there are now 4 temples awaiting the announcement of their opening arrangements, 3 others nearly completed, another 2 nearing completion, and an additional 3 approaching completion, so dedications should stack up. I particularly project a high number of dedications during the last 5 months of this year. And it seems likely that by the end of this year, at least a few other dedications may occur.
I am not sure what exactly to expect going forward, but it does appear we will be getting some temple news every Monday during the 2:00 PM hour here in Utah. So stay tuned here for the analysis of all such a updates. Thanks, Chris, as always, for taking time to comment. You have been a long time friend, follower, and commenter on this blog, and I always appreciate hearing your enthusiasm for temple developments. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Hello again, everyone! I took another hiatus from commenting yesterday so I could devote most of my day to working on a BYU Independent Study course that I need to finish by May. If there are any future gaps in my comments here, or delays in sharing reports between now and May, that will be one of the main reasons for that. So let's dive in to some news updates from the Church: The Pacific Newsroom and the Church News both reported on the Auckland New Zealand Temple open house. It is already Monday in New Zealand, so that is why the reports of the open house are being shared on a Sunday. So we know that's not the big temple news for this week, and we can reasonably expect another major temple construction announcement tomorrow during the 2:00 PM MST hour.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Newsroom and the Church News both reported on how Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ministered to victims of the recent California fires this weekend. The Church News also published this update on the situation of the California fires.
This week's "Come, Follow Me" study will focus on D&C 18. The latest edition of "Week in Review: In Case You Missed It" highlighted the top 9 developments reported by the Church News this week. 27 new stake presidencies, 5 for new stakes, and 22 for reorganized stakes, have recently begun serving.
Yesterday, aside from President Holland's ministry in California, the Church News also covered a few other updates, including the text of the message for today's "Music & the Spoken Word"; the ties several Tabernacle Choir members have to Peru & Ecuador; how a new tool on FamilySearch simplifies temple and family history work, and the significance of being bound to the Savior.
My thanks once again to you all.