Hello again, everyone! Hot on the heels of the announcements I covered a couple of hours ago, the First Presidency has also announced the area leadership assignments for the next year. Significantly, in addition to those assignments, the areas now covering just the United States (because of the creation of the Canada Area) will now be known as United States Areas, with the obvious exception of the Utah Area.
So we now have the United States Central, United States Northeast, United States Southeast, United States Southwest, and United States West Areas. I will have additional analysis of these assignments later tonight or tomorrow, which will be shared in the comments of this post. I am still trying to do updates for the temple news, which is why I will just let the assignments speak for themselves until I can share that analysis.
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.
The Church News has provided the text of the prayer offered by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate the Auckland New Zealand Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteOn this Tuesday, I have completed my analysis of the area leadership changes for this year. You can find it in two documents: this one showing the changes in area leadership alphabetically by surname, and this one, showing the changes in area leadership by alphabetical area. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, from the Newsroom comes reports about Interfaith collaborations, counsel from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about rethinking expectations, Easter teachings and counsel from Elder Uchtdorf and his fellow apostles, Elders Dale G. Renlund and Ulisses Soares, with planned additional Easter reflections from each of the other 12 apostles between now and Easter (which will all also be featured in this Newsroom release.
DeleteMeanwhile, from the Church News, we have reports about children learning the value from missionaries in the Philippines, the Easter edition of the Church News podcast, and the first Latter-day Saint military chaplains in the British Armed Forces..
I am still scouring for temple construction status updates, but wanted to at least share this update about the Alabang Philippines Temple, which indicates that major construction has been completed. Since the Temple Department is applying the finishing touches, I''m hopeful we could soon see opening arrangements announced for that temple. But whenever that happens (which may be about a month away), I think that the temple dedication will only be set for December of this year, or possibly even January of next year..
By contrast, since the Burley Idaho Temple has not yet had major construction completed, the Alabang Philippines Temple is ahead of it for now. But I think that the Church could potentially set the dedication for Idaho's newest temple at some point in November, several weeks ahead of the dedication for Alabang. And in addition to Alabang, I assume that many other soon-to-be completed US temples could have their dedications in January, February, or March of next year.
And 2026 looks to be a year where the number of temple dedications could start ticking upwards for the foreseeable future. I think temple groundbreakings are likely to occur at a similar pace starting this year. Now if only full-scale construction can begin for the Tarawa Kiribati, Tacloban City Philippines, Cali Colombia, Antananarivo Madagascar, and Birmingham England Temples, that will also add to the future forward momentum of the temple queue. I am still checking for other temple construction status updates, and will pass those along to you all here ASAP after I learn of them. My thanks once again to you all.
I composed the above comment over the course of several hours, as I had other priorities tonight. But apparently, in the time that it took me to compose and publish the above comment, it was noted that major construction had been completed for the Burley Idaho Temple as well. As I stated, unless I'm wrong (and I very easily could be wrong), I think the dedication of Idaho's newest temple might occur in November, with the dedication of the newest temple in the Philippines likely to occur in December of this year or January of next year. This is because it is easier for the Temple Department to put the finishing touches on US temples faster than temples outside the US in general and in the Philippines in particular. Anyways, that's another update that's come to light in the last several hours. Any additional temple updates will follow ASAP. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteA status update has been shared for the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple as well. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd finally tonight, an update has been noted on the Manhattan New York Temple. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Wednesday, the Newsroom has updated their apostolic Easter teachings page, and also shared one additional report, which speaks for itself. Meanwhile, from the Church News comes a report on how Relief Society sisters in Victoria British Columbia are providing warmth and comfort through handmade quilts.The Church News also summarized remarks given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to BYU-Provo students.and counsel to parents from a member of the Young Men General Advisory Council.
DeleteConstruction status updates were reported today for the Harare Zimbabwe, Davao Philippines and Lindon Utah Temples today. The update on Harare indicates that major construction is nearing completion. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has shared one new update. And the Church of Jeus Christ temples page has overhauled the construction queue. This document shows where things stood as of April 13, while this one reflects the latest changes as of tonight.
DeleteAlong with these updates, the Church Temples site has noted construction status updates on the following temples: Cleveland Ohio, Cody Wyoming, Queretaro Mexico, >a href="https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/kaohsiung-taiwan-temple/" >Kaohsiung Taiwan, Cagayan deo Oro Philippines, Tarawa Kiribati (for which full-scale construction is anticipated to begin soon), and ahref="https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/cali-colombia-temple/" >Cali Colombia (for which full-scale construction is now officially underway). These updates supercede anything I had previously theorized. My thanks once again to you all.
The links for the updates about the Kaohsiung Taiwan and Cali Colombia Temples above were broken. My apologies for the errors, and my thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Thursday, the Newsroom has provided additional apostolic Easter testimonies. So far, 7 of our 15 current Apostles have been featured, with the other 8 to come at some point between now and Easter Sunday. The Newsroom also shared one additional Easter update, which speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, from the Church News comes an inspiring reactivation story and a report on the dedication of the new College of Fine Arts building on the BYU-Provo Campus. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News also shared how Seoul Korea South Stake members drew closer to Jesus Christ through memorizing "The Living Christ". My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Friday, the Newsroom has shared four updates: to the homepage for Easter content, how Saints around the world found "greater love:" throughout this Holy Week, updated testimonies from each of our apostles, except Presidents Nelson and Oaks and Elder Bednar, for whom those Easter testimonies are forthcoming this weekend, and one other report which speaks for itself.
DeleteMeanwhile, from the Church News comes 3 new reports: a new statue at the University of Utah honors noted physicist Henry Eyring, the father of President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. President Eyring attended and spoke at the statue's unveiling, and Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also attended. He and his two siblings each earned degrees in physics primarily because of Henry Eyring. Also reported was how members of the Church celebrated Holy Week in a higher and holier way as well, and the inspiring story of one Canadian Latter-day Saint who has personally handed out 400 copies of the Book of Mormon, and counting. My thanks once again to you all.
And the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has also been published. The newest installment featured posts from the following general Church leaders:
DeletePresident Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency; Acting President Jeffrey R. Holland and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson, Neil L. Andersen, Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund, Gerrit W. Gong, Ulisses Soares, and Patrick Kearon; Sisters Tamara W. Runia and Andrea Munoz Spannaus, the respective First and Second Counselors in the Young Women General Presidency; the Primary General Presidency (President Susan H. Porter and Sisters Amy A. Wright and Tracy Y. Browning), via Primary Worldwide; and Brother Bradley R. (Brad) Wilcox, the outgoing First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.
My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has provided one additional report. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd the Church News has reshared an article about Good Friday that was originally published last year. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Saturday, I the Newsroom has shared additional apostolic Easter testimonies. There is only one such testimony missing: that of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. He will probably share his testimony tomorrow on Easter Sunday. The Newsroom shared this additional update.
DeleteMeanwhile, the Church News has shared a few new updates as well, including 15 apostolic invitations from the April 2025 General Conference (one for each apostle), stories shared by each speaker in the most recent General Conference, and two additional Easter reports, which speak for themselves.
To the best of my knowledge, there are no additional temple construction status updates to share for now, and I doubt there will be any such updates tomorrow. And the Church has also not yet released the PDF version of the May 2025 Liahona, so I would expect any additional temple construction updates and the May 2025 Liahona to only be provided on Monday at the eariest. If that changes, I will let you know in a new comment here. But I will try to keep my content sharing to a minimum tomorrow in view of Easter Sunday. In the past, I have sometimes done a new post with a personal Easter message, but I don't think I will do so tomorrow, other than to say I hope you all have a fantastic Easter Sunday with your families. My thanks once again to you all.
The Church News has shared the text of the message that will be included in tomorrow's episode of "Music & the Spoken Word", along with one additional report that speaks for itself. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteI came across something interesting while looking at the operating schedules of the Melbourne Australia and Fresno California Temples that are currently listed as "closed during renovation". The Melbourne Temple's page notes that the temple is opening soon on May 12, and interestingly mentions open house information with a link simply leading to the main open houses page. The Fresno Temple lists the temple having been rededicated March 23, 2025, although it is set to reopen on July 27.
ReplyDeleteThere hasn't really been much update on the Melbourne Australia Temple's status since it closed last year. All I can recall is that the temple was originally expected to reopen last December. I wonder if there may be a surprise announcement of an open house/rededication of this temple, similar to what occured with the Toronto Ontario Temple which was initially announced to have an extended closure not requiring a rededication, and thus was never listed as "Under Renovation" prior to the open house announcement.
I'm not sure what to make of the information on the Fresno California Temple's page. I think it's likely an error, but I could be wrong. The official pages for the Sydney and Salt Lake Temple's don't match up entirely with what is listed on Rick's Temple Site as well. The rededication of the Sydney Temple's additions in 1991 is not listed on the official page, while official page for the Salt Lake Temple lists a rededication in 1963, which I believe was for a temporary annex. It is interesting that this rededication is listed on the page, given that the temporary annex (which became the now demolished North Visitors' Center) was/is not part of the Salt Lake Temple's functions, while the additions to the Sydney Australia Temple included a new baptistry, and isn't listed.
Hey, Noah! Thanks for stopping by to share these observations. I have been wondering if the Church has swapped out the designations of "Closed for maintenance" and "Closed for extended maintenance" for the phraase "Closed for renovation(s)". It is not all that uncommon for the Church to close temples for an extended period spanning several weeks to as long as 9 or 10 months. In fact, it happens for at least 20 temples every year.
DeleteSo a change in phrasing could be the explanation for what you're seeing on the Melbourne Australia and Fresno California Temples. Some of those extended closures have been used to repurpose the previous spaces that served as temple cafeterias, or to fix minor problems with equipment, furniture, lighting or the various systems that keep the temple going. When those extended closures occur, the work is almost always carried out by Church members, meaning that no public open house or rededications are necessary once those efforts wrap up.
In some cases, the Church opts for either an open house and rededication or simply only a rededication. It just depends on how complicated the maintenance becomes. I am not sure why the Church had an open house and rededication for the Toronto Ontario Temple, I used to track (and post here) a list of the temples which had an extended closures scheduled, and how long those closures were expected to last. But as more and more temples are dedicated in the coming months and years, that became increasingly more difficult to track and report, so I haven't done that in a couple of years or so.
Because I haven't done those yearly updates for a while, your comment was the way I found out about the closures of those temples for the first time. Since the Church Temples site does not list those extended closures when an open house and rededication doesn't appear necessary, it will be interesting to see if the temples you mentioned do wind up having an open house and rededication. I can confirm that neither of the temples you mentioned are on the Church Temples site section for temples undergoing renovation.
As for the other anomalies you mentioned, it's the prerogative of the Temple Department to provide updates to the Church's official pages for the affected temples, and sometimes, there have been missing milestones or information on those temple pages as a result. If you wanted to, you could go to the bottom of the temple pages you mentioned, where there is a Feedback link, and you could share the missing information. Usually, such reports are sent on to someone at the Temple Department, who then makes the call about whether or not to include it. The Church's feedback response team are great, and take all such feedback seriously. So that is an option, if you're interested. If not, that's not a problem, but the information you mentioned that is missing would be good additions to the respective pages. Just something for you to consider if you'd like to do so. In the meantime, Noah, thanks for taking time to comment. I always appreciate hearing from you.
Happy Easter, everyone! Early on this Sabbath and Easter morning, the Church News has shared the latest edition of "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review", highlighting the top 10 developments reported by the Church News this week. I honestly don't know whether any other updates will be published in the next 24 hours on the Church News website,. If there are any such updates, I will be sure to pass them along at some point later today. For now, my thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteOn this Easter Sunday, the Church News shared one update which speaks for itself. The Church News also shared an Easter morning video from our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, which shows him consistently bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ throughout his apostolic ministry. That video serves as the capstone to the apostolic testimonies shared throughout the Easter season, though for some reason it is missing from the Newsroom page that covers those testimonies. Again, I am going to try to keep my comments here to a minimum today so the focus can be on Easter Sunday. But if any other updates are shared, I will be sure to pass them along as I able to do so. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Newsroom has now shared President Nelson's Easter post, and has updated this page covering the stories and videos relating to the Easter season. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteWith our "Come, Follow Me" study this next week focusing on D&C 37-40, see what Church leaders have taught about those sections. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteElder Dale G. Renlund spoke at an Easter devotional at the Provo MTC today. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Easter Monday, the First Presidency has offered condolences to those of the Catholic faith on the recent passing of Pope Francis, who passed away earlier this morning. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeleteThe Church News has also shared that statement. My thanks once again to you all.
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