Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the major temple construction announcement from the First Presidency set the opening arrangements for the Torreón Mexico Temple and the groundbreaking arrangements for the Colorado Springs Colorado Temple. Here are the details: We start with the Torreon Mexico Temple, which will have a media day on Monday, October 19, with invited guest tours the following two days.
The public will be invited to tour the temple between Thursday, October 22, and Saturday, November 7, excluding the Sundays of October 25 and November 1. The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, November 22, under the presiding direction of Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That will be the same date as the previously announced dedication of the Modesto California Temple. By that date, daylight saving time will have ended, so Torreon will then be 1 hour ahead of Modesto, so if the two dedications are held at 10:00 AM, Torreon will be the first of the two to be dedicated.
The dedication announcement follows the temple's April 2021 announcement, with the site location confirmed in mid-September 2021 (the exterior rendering was simultaneously released on that same date) and the groundbreaking announcement in mid-October 2022, with the groundbreaking subsequently occurring in mid-December of that same year. I am grateful we got news of this temple dedication.
We now turn to the Colorado Springs Colorado Temple groundbreaking, which will be held on Saturday, September 12, under the direction of Elder Karl D. Hirst of the United States Central Area Presidency. The groundbreaking announcement follows the temple's October 2023 announcement by President Nelson, with the site location confirmed in early November 2024 and the release of its' exterior rendering occuring in early May 2025. I am grateful that my theory of other groundbreakings between Couer d'Alene Idaho and Maceio Brazil has proven correct. There are now
In view of these announcements, I have updated my documents showing apostolic temple dedications under President Oaks' prophetic administration and my side-by-side comparison for groundbreakings in 2025 vs. 2026. I still think at least a couple other groundbreakings could be set to occur between Colorado Springs Colorado and Maceio Brazil, or that perhaps one more could be set between Couer d'Alene and Colorado Springs, but time will tell on that.
I am grateful we got these two announcements. While I was doing the research to prepare the full post covering this news, the Church News covered both the Torreon Mexico dedication and the Colorado Springs Colorado groundbreaking. I still think the Church will set dedications for a few more temples to occur before the end of this year, and I have a feeling that additional groundbreakings are coming down the pike as well.
I invite you all to stay tuned here for my coverage of the latest 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 to receive the applicable updates. 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.
In the comments here, it's also worth noting that we got the latest Temple Square renovation update. That was posted at around 1:30 PM or so, which made me wonder at first if we'd get any other temple news. But I'm glad we did. My thanks once again to you all.
ReplyDeletePrior to today's temple news, the Church News shared two additional reports that speak for themselves. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd the Church News has covered the latest update from Temple Square. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn Tuesday, the Church News shared the following updates: how older single members of the Church are answering the callto missionary work; the latest episode of the Church News podcast shares the testimonies of the outgoing Primary General Presidency members as their service concludes; and a look at the blessings Chicago members have found in the aftermath of the Chicago fires. And the Newsroom shared the annual Interfaith event, "We Pray for Peru". My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church News reported today that there are record numbers of converts joining the Church in the Sierra Leone Bo Mission. In addition, in what was likely her last official assignment as First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency and a member of the Missionary Executive Council, Sister Amy A. Wright, who will be released from the Primary General Presidency on Friday, testified of the plan of salvation and the importance of missionaries having their own testimonies thereof. She was accompanied by her husband, Brother James M. Wright, who, as a former mission president, focused his brief remarks on the miracles of Jesus, as outlined in John 6. In unrelated news, the latest status update on the Fort Worth Texas Temple indicates that the temple has been furnished, and that interior and exterior finish work is making progress. It seems entirely possible that the Church might opt to set dedications for both the Smithfield Utah and Fort Worth Texas Temnples before a dedication is set for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple, but that's just a personal theory at this point. The last update on the Pago Pago Temple was shared on July 10 so I could easily be wrong. In any case, I anticipate that at very least those 3 temples will be scheduled to be dedicated before the end of this year. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAny other Church News, Newsroom, or temple updates will be shared
The Church News shared thoughts from our current female General Officers about serving on Executive Councils. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThere have been major updates made to my categorizations of temples under construction. In addition, a new update on the Missoula Montana Temple now indicates that foundation work is underway following ithat temple's groundbreaking last month. Here is the latest edition of my document tracking temples under construction or undergoing renovations. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Thursday, construction status updates have been provided for the Grand Rapids Michigan, Birmingham England, Winchester Virginia and João Pessoa Brazil Temples. Newsroom and Church News updates will follow. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe European Newsroom and the Church News have covered the Church's response to raging wildfires in Spain and France. Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who has strong personal ties to the affected region of France, provided his personal condolences. Aside from the report on the fire, the Church News also covered the death of the widow of Elder Glenn L. Pace, the inspiring story of a son with fragile x syndrome carrying on his father's temple legacy, and the importance of worship music in Church and at home. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAnd today, I am pleased to be able to confirm that Elder Quentin L. Cook is joined on the Temple and Family History Executive Council by both Elders Ulisses Soares and Gérald Caussé, as verified here, marking the first time that the council has had three apostles for a while. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteToday (July 31) is President Susan H. Porter's birthday. The day her release becomes official, the Church News has paid this tribute in her honor. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAlso on the Friday, the Newsroom has shared details for an upcoming Friend-to-Friend event planned for September 2026, which will feature Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve and the new Primary General Presidency. Additionally, the Newsroom has shared the 2027 Instructions for Curriculum, which speak for themselves.
DeleteMeanwhile, from the Church News comes a report of the first 2 Latter-day Saint chaplains in the British Army. The Church News also shared the latest edition of "This Week on Social", which featured social media content from the following general Church leaders:
Church President Dallin H. Oaks and his Second Counselor, President D. Todd Christofferson; Elders Neil L. Andersen and Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (from the latter of whom two posts were shared); Relief Society General President Camille N.Johnson and her Second Counselor, Sister Kristin M.. Yee; Sister Andrea Munoz Spannaus, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency (who posted via Young Women Worldwide) and the outgoing Primary General Presidency (President Susan H. Porter and Sisters Amy A, Wright and Tracy Y. Browning).
The outgoing Primary General Presidency shared their concluding testimonies, the aforementioned upcoming September Freind-to-Friend event. And Elder Quentin L. Cook provided counsel to BYU-Pathway Worldwide students. My thanks once again to you all.
And the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site has reported yet another update on the Missoula Montana Temple, in addition to a change in its' position in the temple construction queue. Previously sitting at the bottom of the queue (below the Singapore Temple), it now sits between the Cape Town South Africa and Fairview Texas Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAlso, as announced in April, Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt was to continue his service in the Africa West Area Presidency. But as mentioned in conjunction with the Seminar for New Mission Leadership, after the death of Elder W. Mark Bassett, Elder Schmitt was called back to Church headquarters to serve as the Executive Director of the Missionary Department. As confirmed by this link, Elder Christian C. Chigbundu is now in the Africa West Area Presidency, replacing Elder Schmitt. This means that Elder Chigbundu is not serving in the United States Southwest Area Presidency as originally announced. Also, the area leadership assignments had been updated in May to note that some area leadership assignments became effective in May, with the others becoming effective today, though it was not specified which area leadership changes became effective in May. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Saturday, the Church News has posted several new updates: the month of August will have six Temple groundbreakings, the first of which occurred today in Santos. The 2027 curriculum is available now, and Mary Richards explores why we say yes to Church callings. One family keeps their ancestor's memories alive through many generations. On this August 1, many announced changes are in effect for genereal Church leadership. The Church News also provided the text of the message that will be given by Brother Derrick Porter during tomorrow's 5,055th episode of "Music & the Spoken Word". My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAside from the groundbreaking for the Santos Brazil Temple, the Church Temples site has also reported that full-scale construction is expected to begin soon for the Springfield Missouri Temple, which has been placed in the construction queue ahead of the Heber Valley Utah Temple. The Church Temples site also reported a change in completion order for the Fairbanks Alaska Temple, which used to sit between the Jacksonville Florida and the João Pessoa Brazil Temples and now sits between the Tampa Florida and Tacloban City Philippines Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteAside from the estimate changes mentioned above, updates have been provided on the Winchester Virginia and Lone Mountain Nevada Temples. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Sunday, the Church News has published a few new updates: the miraculous story of how the Lord helped save the life of a 4-year old in Uruguay; a new member of the Sunday School General Advisory Council; the top 8 stories from the last week in the latest edition of "In Case You Missed It: Week in Review"; with our "Come, Follow Me" study centering on the book of Esther, see what Church leaders have taught about that book; and a comparison of year-end Church statistics for the last 3 years. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteThe Church of Jesus Christ Temples site has noted status updates on the temples in Neiafu Tonga, Santa Cruz Bolivia, and Kona Hawaii. My thanks once again to you all.
DeleteOn this Monday, the Church of Jesus ChristTemples site has changed the status of the temples in Smithfield Utah and Fort Worth Texas. Additaionally, that same site has moved the Lethbridge Alberta and Vancouver Washington Temples up from their former position between the Birmingham England and Tarawa Kiribati Temples to now being between the Teton River Idaho and Birmingham England Temples.
DeleteIn addition, the Newsroom has published this article about the August 1 leadership changes that are now effective (which includes some updates to area leadership that I will detail later today). And the Church News has detailed an FSY conference in Alaska's "Camp Hesed"; the origin story for "To God Be the Glory", and the Church has released instructional videos from general Church leadership that detail the September 6 changes. My thanks once again to you all.