Church President Dallin H. Oaks Observes His 94th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 12, it's time to pay tribute to the third (and last) apostle who has his birthday this month: our beloved prophet and Church President Dallin H. Oaks is celebrating his 94th birthday. Let's take a look at key highlights from his life: Dallin Harris Oaks was born on this day in 1932 to Dr. Lloyd E. and Stella Harris Oaks in Provo, Utah. Included in his mother's ancestry is Martin Harris, who, as we know, was one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. President Oaks' first name was given in honor of the last name of an artist with whom his mother had worked (as the model) for a statue in Springville Utah. His father was an ophthalmologist, and he died when young Dallin was age 7 from complications of tuberculosis. Being the oldest child of his family, the death of his father gave young Dallin some unique opportunities to help his mother and to be an example to his younger siblings, which was one thing of which he has frequently spoken.

After his father died, his mother was able to earn a graduate degree at Columbia University and support her family by working to provide adult education opportunities for those who needed it. She also went to be the first woman elected to Provo's City Council, and she also served for a time as assistant mayor. In the meantime, young Dallin attended Brigham Young High School, where he played football and became a certified radio engineer.

Once he started attending BYU, he took many opportunities to be the radio announcer at high school games. At one of those games, he was introduced to June Dixon, whom he would later date and subsequently marry. He was unable to serve as a full-time missionary because he was a member of the National Guard, and there was a possibility he could have been called up to serve during the Korean War. Dallin and June were married in 1952, and he graduated from BYU two years later with a degree in accounting. 

He went on to study law at the University of Chicago, graduating with his degree 3 years later. He spent the early part of his professional career clerking for Chief Justice Earl Warren of the US Supreme Court, during which time, the chief justice presided over the infamous Watergate scandal. After that, Brother Oaks went on to practiced law at Kirkland and Ellis. He left that job in 1961 to become a professor at Chicago Law, While in that capacity, he served as interim dean. During that same period of time, the University of Chicago was desperate to get Dr. Russell M. Nelson, a renowned heart surgeon, on their staff, and Professor Oaks was asked to represent the university in trying to convince Dr. Nelson to accept the offer. 

Although those efforts proved unsuccessful, that encounter resulted in lifelong friendships for the Nelsons and the Oaks. Dallin also served on the foundational board of a Mormon thought periodical and was the chairman of the university's disciplinary committee. He took a leave of absence from the University while serving as legal counsel to the Bill of Rights Committee of the Illinois Constitutional Convention. He left the law school for good in 1971 when he was appointed the new president of BYU (for which many candidates, including Brother Nelson, were considered), a position he held for nine years. 

He then went on to serve for five years as chairman of the board of directors for PBS, and eight years as chairman of the board of directors of the Polynesian Cultural Center. In 1980, he was appointed a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, an office he held for the next four years. He was rumored to have been considered by two US Presidents (Gerald Ford and later Ronald Regan) for a nomination to the US Supreme Court. He had made plans with his wife, June, to serve a mission after he had served on the Utah Supreme Court for a decade, but the Lord had other plans.

A surprise change in direction for him came in 1984. He was at a law conference fulfilling several judicial obligations when President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor to the ailing Church President, Spencer W. Kimball, tracked him down via phone call. The purpose of the call was to notify him that he'd been selected to become an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

At the time, there were two vacancies in the Quorum due to the deaths of Elders LeGrand Richards on January 11, 1983, and Mark E. Petersen exactly one year to the day later. Due to the ill health of President Spencer W. Kimball, neither vacancy had been filled prior to the April 1984 General Conference. Elder Oaks became the junior apostle to Elder Russell M. Nelson, though the two were sustained in the same General Conference. Although both were called at the same time, Elder Oaks was unable to be present at the General Conference at which the two were sustained.

President Hinckley, in leading that sustaining, offered the following explanation: "With reference to Dallin Oaks, I should like to say that while we nominate and sustain him today, he will not be ordained to the apostleship, nor will he be set apart as a member of the Council of the Twelve, nor will he begin his apostolic service, until after he completes his present judicial commitments, which may require several weeks. He is absent from the city, and necessarily absent from the conference. We excuse him."

Elder Oaks was ordained an apostle just short of four weeks after being sustained, having been sustained on April 7 and being subsequently ordained to the apostleship on May 3. He had his first opportunity to respond to his apostolic call five months later, speaking in the October 1984 General Conference about the importance of witnesses, within the context of his new assignment to be a special witness of Jesus Christ. He has now been an apostle for over 42 years, during which time he has filled a wide variety of assignments, and has had many opportunities to meet with and speak to Church members in various parts of the world. In addition to losing his father early on in his life, Elder Oaks also experienced the death of his wife June, who passed away in 1998.

Just over two years later, Elder Oaks married Kristen M. McMain, who has been by his side ever since. In 2002, he and Elder Holland were asked to be the first apostles in around 100 years to live on-location in two of the Church's geographical areas, with then-Elder Oaks being based in the Philippines, and Elder Holland being assigned to preside in Chile. With the death of President Thomas S. Monson in January 2018, Elder Oaks became the second most-senior apostle.

President Nelson, in becoming the new Church president, felt impressed to call his apostolic seat-mate, Elder Oaks, to serve as First Counselor in the First Presidency. He was set apart in both that capacity and as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on January 14, 2018. As we know, he became the senior apostle upon the death of President Nelson. As the Lord's senior apostle (and President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), he presided at the October 2025 General Conference, and on October 14, 2025, he was set apart and ordained by his fellow apostles as the prophet and Church President. President Oaks has given a total of 105 addresses in General Conference, the first of which was given during his service as BYU-Provo President. Interestingly enough, that address from the early 1970s is somehow not listed in the Church's repository webpage of his General Conference addresses). He gave 68 additional addresses in General Conference as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and 31 as a member of the First Presidency. He gave 1 in his capacity as President of the Quorum of the Twelve in the October 2025 General Conference, and the remaining 3 during the April 2026 General Conference. He currently ranks as both the most senior and the oldest member of the First Presidency, and the most senior and oldest current apostle. He currently ranks as the ninth oldest apostle in Church history.

I am honored to have been able to pay tribute to him as he observes this milestone. I testify that his apostolic call, along with the calls of all other apostles, have indeed been divinely directed and inspired, as has how and when they have each moved up in the ranks thereof.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: President Oaks Will Dedicate the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! Thanks to Michael Worley's comment in the threads of the previous post, I am pleased to report that Church President Dallin H. Oaks will preside at the dedication of the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple this Sunday. This will be President Oaks' second temple dedication overall and his first international one since becoming President of the Church in October.

The news release doesn't indicate anything about any other stops, and the prophet continues to recover from a semi-recent hip replacement surgery, so a one-stop international visit makes a lot of sense. I am grateful he is well enough for this one stop. Hopefully he will also be well enough to preside at a few upcoming dedications and rededications as well. The prophet will celebrate his 94th birthday tomorrow, and I will have a tribute post in his honor published about 10 hours or so from now.

I am grateful for this morning's announcement, and for the chance I had to cover it. I am grateful to Michael Worley for first sharing this news here. I have added this information to my document showing current apostolic temple dedications and rededications during President Oaks' prophetic tenure.  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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Fort Worth Texas Temple; Groundbreaking Scheduled for the Barcelona Spain Temple

Hello again, everyone! As anticipated, the First Presidency officially announced the next major temple construction updates. Today, it was opening arrangements for the Fort Worth Texas Temple and groundbreaking arrangements for the Barcelona Spain Temple. Let's get into all the relevant details:

We start in Fort Worth Texas. The media day for that temple will take place on Monday, November 2, 2026, followed by two days of tours for invited guests. The public is invited to tour that temple between Thursday, November 5, and Saturday, November 21, 2026. The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, January 10, 2027, with the presiding apostle TBA. I had hoped that the Fort Worth Texas Temple might be dedicated before the end of this year, but I was clearly mistaken in that theory.

I don't know what that means for the Smithfield Utah Temple. Likely that dedication will occur in 2027, I assume, but we'll have to see. For whatever reason, it appears that the Church may be opting to not schedule any dedications for the month of December going forward, which would make sense so the focus can be on the Savior during the Christmas season. 

I will have to evaluate that and figure out how it may alter the estimates I have previously offered. This dedication has been added to my document showing apostolic temple dedications during President Oaks' prophetic tenure. I am grateful we got this announcement. and llook forward to seeing what the timing is on other upcoming dedications.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Barcelona Spain Temple is set to take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, under the direction of Elder James W. McConkie III of the Europe Central Area Presidency. This is the second groundbreaking to be set between the August 29 groundbreaking for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple and the previously announced October 10 groundbreaking for the Maceio Brazil Temple.

This brings the number of scheduled 2026 temple groundbreakings to 16. Last year, the 16th temple groundbreaking took place on September 25, so I hope we see one or two more groundbreakings set to occur in September to even things out. Time will tell on that hope. I am grateful for this announcement as well. On my blog a little while ago, someone had mentioned that a groundbreaking committee had been formed for this temple, so I knew that the groundbreaking announcement was only a matter of time.

So the Barcelona groundbreaking was on my radar for the near term, as was the announcement of opening arrangements for the Fort Worth Texas Temple, even if said arrangements were on a different timeframe than I had projected. Hopefully we soon hear news of the opening arrangements for the Smithfield Utah Temple, other temple groundbreakings, and more exterior renderings and site location confirmations.

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. 

Elder Neil L. Andersen Observes His 75th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Let's get right into the latest apostolic birthday tribute I'm posting. Today's is in honor of Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is celebrating his 75th birthday today. Elder Neil Linden Andersen was born on this day in 1951 to Lyle and Kathryn Andersen in Logan Utah. His family relocated to Pocatello when he was five to run a dairy farm. He served a full-time mission in France, then obtained a bachelor's degree in economics, eventually earning his MBA from Harvard, also in economics.

During his time at BYU, he met and married his wife, Kathy Sue Anderson, and together they raised four children. He spent his professional career working various jobs. At the pinnacle of his career, he was Vice President of the Morton Plant Health System. He has served in the Church as a stake president’s counselor, stake president and mission president (assigned to the France Bordeaux Mission) from 1989-1992. Less than a year after his return, he was called to be a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Interestingly, his call as a General Authority occurred in the same conference as that of his future apostolic seatmate, Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

Through the next couple of decades as a Seventy, he served in a wide variety of Church assignments, including as executive director of the church's Audiovisual Department, assistant executive director of the Priesthood Department, and in the presidencies of the following areas: Europe West ,Utah North, Utah South, North America Southwest, North America Northeast, and the Brazil South Area (during which time he also served as the area president).

In 2005, Elder Andersen was called to the Presidency of the Seventy (alongside Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who would eventually become Elder Andersen's apostolic seatmate). While serving in that Presidency, he was assigned to preside over the Idaho Area (from 2005-2007). By the time his stewardship switched to the North America Southwest Area (2007-2009), he had gone from being the second-least senior member of that Presidency to being the third-most-senior member. In 2008, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (in April) and the release of Senior President Elder Earl C. Tingey (in August, in preparation for his being granted emeritus status in the October General Conference), Elder Andersen then became the Senior President of the Seventy, a role in which he would only serve for around 8 months.

With the December 2008 death of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Elder Andersen was subsequently called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the April 2009 General Conference. An interesting bit of trivia is the fact that Elders Christofferson, Andersen, and Rasband were all seatmates in the Presidency of the Seventy as of August 2007, and they would all go on to be apostolic seatmates, with their apostolic calls occurring in April 2008, April 2009, and October 2015 respectively.

Since Elder Andersen's original call as a General Authority Seventy in April 1993, he has given a total of 40 addresses in General Conference (3 of which he gave as a General Authority Seventy, with 2 others given while he was a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and the remaining 35 since his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).

Elder Andersen is now the fourth in both seniority and chronological birth order among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and ranks seventh among the 15 total apostles in both seniority and birth chronology. I gladly sustain him and each of his 14 apostolic colleagues as prophets, seers, and revelators, and am grateful to have been able to publish this tribute in honor of Elder Andersen's 75th birthday today. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Elder Clark G. Gilbert Will Dedicate the Cody Wyoming Temple

Hello again, everyone! This morning, the Church announced that Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the dedication of the Cody Wyoming Temple. on October 25, 2026 This marks Elder Gilbert's first temple dedication assignment. Elder Gilbert, who was called to the apostleship in February of this year, currently serves on the Missionary Executive Council, and it appears that Elder David A. Bednar has served as Elder Gilbert's apostolic mentor.

This is an interesting development. Elder Gérald Caussé, called to the apostleship in November of last year (a few months before Elder Gilbert) has not yet been assigned to dedicate a temple. But since Elder Gilbert received this assignment, hopefully Elder Caussé's first apostolic temple dedication assignment isn't far behind. I have added this information to my document showing current apostolic temple dedication assignments under President Oaks' prophetic tenure.

Interestingly enough, we still have no word as of yet regarding which apostle will dedicate the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple next Sunday (August 16), or who will rededicate the San Diego California Temple the following Sunday. That kind of makes me wonder if President Oaks will be presiding over either or both of those events. I will keep my eyes open for more details on all of that and will share those details ASAP after I learn about them.

In any case, I am grateful we got this news today. 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.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson Marks His 71st Birthday

Hello again, everyone! With today being August 6, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is celebrating his 71st birthday. This post is in honor of that milestone. Gary Evan Stevenson was born to Evan and Jean Stevenson on this day in 1955 in Ogden, Utah. He grew up in the Cache Valley. He served full-time in the Japan Fukuoka Mission, after which he continued his secondary education at Utah State University's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. 

During the course of his studies there, he met Lesa Jean Higley, whom he later married in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, and with whom he would raise four sons. He spent his professional career working as the COO of ICON Health and Fitness, and served on both the Marriott School of Management Advisory Council and also the USU Foundation Board.

In the Church, he has served as a bishop and a stake president's counselor. From 2004-2007, he and his wife presided over the Japan Nagoya Mission. Less than a year after his return, he was among the first general authority seventies called during President Thomas S. Monson's prophetic administration in April 2008. In August of that same year, he was called to serve as First Counselor in the Asia North Area Presidency, marking his third return to Japan as a representative of the Church. 

The following year, he became the president of that same area, and he served in that assignment until April 2012, at which point he was released as a General Authority Seventy and sustained as the Church's 14th Presiding Bishop. In October 2015, with three vacancies in the apostleship due to the deaths of President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott, Elder Stevenson was unexpectedly summoned to meet with the First Presidency. 

He related that he felt sure that he was being notified that one of his counselors (Bishops Gérald Caussé: or Dean M. Davies) were being called to the apostleship. He was stunned when the apostolic call was instead extended to him personally. He was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015, and was ordained an apostle on October 8, then released as Presiding Bishop one day later. His call to the apostleship marked the second time a current General Authority Seventy who had subsequently been called as Presiding Bishop was also eventually called to the apostleship. 

Previously, that had been the case with Elder Robert D. Hales, who was called as a General Authority in 1975, and as Presiding Bishop of the Church in 1985 before being called to the apostleship in 1994. Those two former Presiding Bishops of the Church would serve together in the apostleship for approximately two years before Elder Hales' passing on October 1, 2017.

2015 marked the first time since 1906 that the Church needed to fill more than two apostolic vacancies at the same time. In 1906, following the resignations of Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor over the Church's repeal of the doctrine of plural marriage, and the death of another apostle, Marriner W. Merrill, the Church called George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay, Of the three, then-Elder McKay was the youngest, with Elder Whitney being the oldest, and Elder Richards between the two. 

This was an exception to the general rule that when more than one apostle was called on the same day, they have typically been called and ordained from oldest to youngest. The three apostolic calls in 2015 marked a similar anomaly in that respect. Although Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund were all called to the apostleship on the same day of the week in the week prior to General Conference, Elder Rasband is the oldest, Elder Stevenson is the youngest, and Elder Renlund is in the middle of those three.

At the age of 60, Elder Stevenson was the youngest man called to the apostleship since Elder David A. Bednar (who was 52 at the time of his October 2004 apostolic call). He would retain his status as the youngest currently-serving apostle until the April 2018 call of Elder Ulisses Soares, who was 59 at the time of his call. With the apostolic calls of Elder Gérald Caussé in November 2025 and Elder Clark G. Gilbert in February 2026, Elder Stevenson is now the sixth in seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the ninth in seniority among all current apostles. In terms of his age, he is the eighth among the Quorum of the Twelve and the eleventh among all 15 apostles.

In his 18 years of service as a general authority, he has given 25 addresses in General Conference (1 as a General Authority Seventy, 2 more as Presiding Bishop, and the remaining 22 since his call to the apostleship). All of these addresses, covering a wide variety of topics, are well worthy of your time, attention and review. I gratefully sustain Elder Stevenson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and appreciate this opportunity to post this tribute to him for his birthday. 

I similarly greatly admire and sustain each and every one of the other apostles in their God-given roles and responsibilities, and I am grateful to them for giving their time and talents to build up the kingdom of God, and to go wherever they are sent, bearing witness of the Savior at all times and in all circumstances. I share my witness that these men are called of God, and that we will be blessed as we give heed to their words.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the New Anchorage Alaska Temple; Closure Announced for Current Anchroage Alaska Temple

Hello again, everyone! An unexpected temple announcement came down the pike today: opening arrangements for the new Anchorage Alaska Temple, along with a closure for the current Anchorage Alaska Temple, which will close for demolition on March 22, 2027. As a reminder, the new Anchorage temple is being built where the former chapel stood, so the plan is for a new chapel to be built where the current temple sits once the existing structure is razed. The Church will want to be able to dedicate the new meetinghouse when the new temple is dedicated, so closing the existing structure a couple of months before the new temple is dedicated will allow the Church to do that.

That brings us to the opening arrangements for the new Anchorage Alaska Temple: the new temple's media day will occur on Monday, May 10, 2027, with invited guests touring the temple the next couple of days. The public open house will occur between Thursday, May 13, and Saturday, May 29, 2027. The new Anchorage Alaska Temple and the adjacent chapel will be dedicated (not rededicated) on Sunday, June 13, 2027. The session will be broadcast to all units in the temple district. The presiding official will be named closer to the time, making it likely that a member of the First Presidency or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside thereover.

This marks a change from the Church's original plan to dedicate the new temple, then raze the existing structure and build and dedicate the meetinghouse. But it is a welcome change that makes sense when outlined as done herein. I will confess I was not expecting this temple's opening arrangements to be announced this soon, nor did I anticipate that the first temple event announced for 2027 would be this rededication. But it is welcome news nonetheless.

With no other temple news announced this week, hopefully next week will bring opening arrangements for the Pago Pago American Samoa, Smithfield Utah, or Fort Worth Texas Temples, in addition to one or two more temple groundbreakings. I suspect we will continue to see announcements every Monday this month. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Dedication Set for the Torreon Mexico Temple; Groundbreaking Set for the Colorado Springs Colorado Temple

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Announced for the Maceio Brazil Temple

Hello again, everyone! Today, the First Presidency set groundbreaking arrangements for the Maceió Brazil Temple. Let's break down those details: the groundbreaking for this temple is set to take place on Saturday, October 10 (just one week after the October 2026 General Conference). Elder B. Corey Cuvelier of the Brazil Area Presidency will preside over that ceremony. This announcement follows that temple's announcement in April 2022, the site location confirmation in March 2023, and the release of its exterior rendering in May 2024.

Given the timing of this temple's groundbreaking, I'm sure other temple groundbreakings could be set to occur before it. But currently, this announcement marks the fourteenth in 2026. 2026 is currently 48 days behind 2025. But, as noted, I do anticipate other groundbreakings perhaps being set to occur before this one does. Time will tell how correct that notion is. This will mark the sixth Brazilian temple to join the current construction queue.

I had been hoping we might see other temple dedications announced, or additional information released about other temples, but I'm glad we at least got this announcement today. 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.

Elder Patrick Kearon Celebrates His 65th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! With today being July 18, Elder Patrick Kearon is observing his 65th birthday. This post will be my birthday tribute to him. Let's revieiw some details about him: Patrick Robert David Kearon was born on this day in 1961 to Paddy and Patricia Kearon in Carlisle, Cumbria, Northern England. 

His parents met when both were serving in the British armed forces. Despite his family not being religious, Elder Kearon and his four older siblings were raised in an environment of service, sacrifice, and devotion to one another. While his family was stationed in Saudi Arabia, Patrick spent time away from his family in boarding schools, and he recounted the hardships of that. 

While at his second boarding school, he and his classmates were tasked with helping to clean up after flooding in the area of his boarding school. That too was a formative experience for him in his youth. Once Patrick finished high school, he returned to his family in Saudi Arabia, where he underwent vocational training in several industries, eventually concluding with a communications consultancy that he ran with his wife.

When he was 19 years old, his father and brother-in-law died in a tragic accident. Patrick went home to England to be with his mother for a time, but soon returned to Saudi Arabia to continue working. In a later return to London, he met some Church members. From them, he gained a genuine appreciation and respect for their Christlike examples. A couple of years after that, some impressive missionaries asked if he would like a priesthood blessing.

During that blessing from a senior missionary he knew well, he felt a strong peace, light, and joy that he couldn't deny. After a couple more experiences that further touched his mind and heart, he was baptized on Christmas Eve in 1987. Two years later, he was in a YSA ward when he met Jennifer Hulme, who was an American-born student on a foreign-exchange program. She was impressed by the way he interacted with and treated people. They married in the Oakland California Temple in January 1991.

They raised their family in England for 19 years until Elder Kearon's April 2010 General Conference call as a General Authority Seventy. Coincidentally, that was the same conference in which his now fellow apostle Elder Gerrit W. Gong was also called as a General Authority Seventy. Prior to his call as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Kearon served as branch president, stake president, and area seventy.

Elder Kearon was called to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 2017, where he served alongside Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, who would become his immediate apostolic seniors. Elder Kearon became the Senior President of the Seventy in August 2020, serving in that capacity until his aforementioned call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in early December 2023.

Following a meeting with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Kearon was invited to meet with President Nelson, who extended the apostolic call to him. Upon his acceptance of that call, President Nelson asked him to go with him to meet the other apostles. He was then given his apostolic charge, was ordained an apostle, and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He didn't have much time to adjust to his new role, as he and his wife had to catch a plane to BYU-Hawaii, where he spoke about how daunting the call seemed to him.

Those who know Elder Kearon best describe him as very soft-spoken, kind, and genuinely interested in everyone with whom he comes in contact. Elder Kearon has spoken 8 times in General Conference, twice as a GA Seventy, once as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and 5 times since his apostolic call. I am pleased to testify of the divine origin of his call to the apostleship. The moment I read about the call, the Spirit witnessed clearly to me that he was the right man to fill this apostolic vacancy. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to Elder Patrick Kearon on this, his 65th birthday. 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.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Preliminary Details Confirmed for the Campo Grande & Goiania Brazil & Medellin Colombia Temples; Exterior Redering Released for the Spanish Fork Utah Temple

Hello again, everyone! With the Newsroom still being intermittently down, I wasn't sure there would be any temple news released today. But I accessed the repository page for temple news in 2026, which lead me to finding today's temple news: The First Presidency has announced the preliminary information for the Campo Grande Brazil, Goiânia Brazil, & Medellín Colombia Temples & also released the rendering for the Spanish Fork Utah Temple. There's a lot to get into, so let's get started!

We begin in Brazil. The Campo Grande Brazil Temple was announced in April 2025 by President Russell M. Nelson. The 11,300-square-foot, single-story edifice will rise on a 5.6-acre site at the intersection of Nelly Martins Avenue, Cigana Street, and Rio Negro Street, Carandá Bosque, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. As for the Goiânia Brazil Temple, it was announced in October 2023 by President Nelson. The 18,850-square-foot, single-story edifice will rise on a 5.54-acre site at the intersection of Rio Verde Avenue, Captain Breno Street, and Professor Hélio França Boulevard in Loteamento Faicalville, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil,

And for the Medellín Colombia Temple, it was originally announced by President Nelson in October 2024. The 10,471-square-foot edifice and an accompanying ancillary building.will rise on a 3.05-acre site located at Carrera 52#4-96, Guayabal, in Medellín, Colombia. The rendering of the Spanish Fork Utah Temple speaks for itself, but the release thereof marks an important step towards a groundbreaking. The Church Temples site notes that core soil samples & groundwater have been measured, and that design plans are well underway, so this temple's subsequent groundbreaking may be just a matter of time. That temple was also originally announced in April 2025, with the site location confirmed in mid-January of this year.

I have nothing much more to add as far as the rendering goes, but if any of you have any insights on that, please feel free to weigh in on that subject. I am grateful for the announcements about these 4 temples, though I was slightly surprised when, yet again, there were no dedications or groundbreakings announced. But I am pleased to report that 61 temples now have site locations announced (42 of those 61 have renderings published), which brings the queue of announced temples with no information officially confirmed down to 44.

I am very pleased by today's announcement, and hope my analysis thereof here is helpful to you all. 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.

Elder Clark G. Gilbert Celebrates His First Apostolic Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! Today is Elder Clark G. Gilbert's 56th birthday, which is also his first birthday since being ordained an apostle on February 12 (as we know, he was called to the apostleship by President Oaks the day before). Let's get into his biography:

Clark Gordon Gilbert was born on this day in 1970, in Oakland California, to Paul Ensign Gilbert and Susan Carlson Gilbert while his father was attending law school. Once his dad graduated, the family relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, at which time Scottsdale had a largely non-Latter-day Saint populace. When young Clark was 10 years old, in response to an assignment to write about a great America, he chose to base his report on the Prophet Joseph Smith. Years later, in a high school assembly, he chose not to be offended when his religious views were criticized and mocked. When he was asked what his favorite song was, he said "I Am a Child of God" and sang it for his class.

Despite being mocked in that assembly, among his close friends and families of other faiths, his views generated respect, with some of those families saying that when their children hung out with Clark, they never had to worry about them getting into trouble. The summer before his senior year, he and his younger sister attended an Especially for Youth (EFY) event at BYU, after which he wrote his sister a letter expressing a desire to be a better brother.

Following his high school graduation, Clark enrolled at BYU. Following his freshman year, he deferred his education to serve a full-time mission in the Japan Kobe Mission. His struggles to learn Japanese brought him to seek heavenly help. He developed a great love for the Japanese people. His mission allowed him to draw closer to his mission leaders, from whom he learned valuable lessons that would mold his future life.

After resuming his studies at BYU, he was introduced to Christine Calder, who had roomed with his younger sister in a BYU study abroad program in London. Impressed with her, she suggested his brother meet her.  Clark was immediately drawn to Christine, and Christine was similarly drawn to Clark. But Christine had a deep desire to serve a mission. As the couple's relationship became more serious, Christine decided to forgo missionary service in favor of marrying Clark. The two were sealed in early February 1994, just before Clark's sister began her missionary service.

Following their marriage, Clark and Christine completed their education at BYU. They then relocated to California, where Clark earned a Master's degree in Asian Studies. Clark then pursued doctoral studies at Harvard (in business administration).  When he struggled with the rigors of the program, Christine reminded him they had prayed for this opportunity. He prayed for and received the help he needed.  He completed his doctorate in 2001, after which he joined the faculty at Harvard. Christine taught early-morning seminary, while Clark served on the stake young men's presidency. The couple also mentored inner-city young men.

In 2005, Clark was recognized at Harvard for his strong research and teaching abilities and was being considered for tenure. But the Lord had another path in mind: Kim Clark, the President of BYU-Odaho, asked Clark to join him at BYU-Idaho for the purpose of expanding Church education on a more global scale. After praying about it and feeling it was the right thing to do, Clark and Christine relocated to Idaho, where Clark served as associate academic vice president of BYU-Idaho, where Clark helped to establish a scholarship program and provided leadership for online programs. 

Those efforts culminated in the eventual creation of BYU-Pathway Worldwide. Clark went on to become the CEO of the Deseret News. In 2015, he was called to serve as the president of BYU-Idaho. Just two years later, he was named the inaugural president of BYU-PW.  With the help of many others, he built up and helped expand BYU-PW further. Then, in April 2021, he was called to serve as a General Authority Seventy. In August of that year, he began serving as the Commissioner of Church Education.

As we now know, on Tuesday, February 10 of this year, he accompanied President Oaks to BYU, where the prophet gave his first public remarks. Clark could tell President Oaks had something on his mind, but the prophet didn't say anything to Clark until the next day. After a meeting of the Church Bord of Education, President Oaks pulled Elder Gilbert aside and asked to speak to him. Clark assumed it was a routine matter relating to Church education, and was shocked when he was instead called to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Clark and Christine stayed up late that night, talking about what they admired about each of Elder Gilbert's apostolic colleagues. The other 14 apostles ordained Clark to the apostleship the very next day.

A short time ago, Elder Gilbert confirmed via social media that he is now assigned to the Missionary Exectuvie Council, where he is working with Elder Ronald A. Rasband. As we also now know, an introductory article about Elder Gilbert is featured in the May 2026 Liahona, written by Elder David A. Bednar, who appears to be Elder Clark's apostolic mentor. The April 2026 General Conference marked the first time that Elder Gilbert spoke as an apostle. He has only given one other talk in General Conference since being called as a General Authority.

Given that Elder Gilbert filled the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that arose from the death of President jeffrey R. Holland, who, like Elder Gilbert, was a university president who later served as the Commissioner of Church Education and was subsequently called to the apostleship, I am not altogether surprised that Elder Gilbert was the Lord's choice tofill that apostolic vacancy. There are no coincidences in the Lord's Church.

As soon as I read about Elder Gilbert's apostolic call, I immediately felt the Lord confirming to me that he was the Lord's choice for this vacancy. So I can readily testify that Elder Gilbert has been called of God and was foreordained to be an apostle of the Lord. He is the youngest apostle to be called since the 2024 call of Elder Bednar at the age of 52. And he is the first apostle to be born in the 1970s. Given his age, I would not be shocked if he serves as Church President at some point, but that is, of course, up to the Lord.

In the interim, I am grateful to have been able to put together this tribute to Elder Gilbert. I know we will not be led astray if we listen to tne cousnel of those we ssustain as prophets, seers, and revelators, including Elder Gilbert. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Announced for the Modesto California Temple; Renovation Scheduled for the Apia Samoa Temple; Initial Details Released for the Hamburg Germany Temple

Hello again, everyone! Given the coverage of the open houses for the San Diego California and Cleveland Ohio Temples, I wasn't sure anything else would be announced today. But it was. The First Presidency has officially confirmed opening arrangements for the Modesto California Temple, a scheduled renovation for the Apia Samoa Temple, and confirmed official details for the Hamburg Germany Temple. There's a lot to get into, so let's jump right in!

We start with the Modesto California Temple, which will have a media day on Tuesday, October 13, followed by VIP tours the following two days. The public open house will run from Friday, October 16 through Saturday, October 31, excluding the Sundays of October 18 and 25. The temple's dedication will follow on Sunday, November 22, 2026, under the presiding direction of Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The time of the dedicatory session has not been identified as of yet, but I imagine a 10:00 AM session with a 2:00 PM rebroadcast is the likely scenario. I have added this information to my document showing apostolic temple dedications during President Oaks' prophetic administration.

Given that there is a two-Sunday gap where no temple dedications have been set (yet), I am reasonably certain we will see at least one dedication apiece of other temples on November 8 and November 15. I could be wrong on that, but I don't believe that I am. I am keeping my eyes out for information on the temples in Pago Pago American Samoa, Torreon Mexico, and Smithfield Utah, any of which could have dedications scheduled on either of those Sundays. The Modesto temple was behind those three in the queue, insofar as I have been able to ascertain. I am also keeping my eyes open for news of the opening arrangements for the Fort Worth Texas, Neiafu Tonga, and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temples.

And, having referred to the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple, that leads me into the details of the renovation for the Apia Samoa Temple. That temple will close for extensive renovations on December 23, 2026. Other details remain unknown at this time, but the timing of the closure will probably mean that the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple will be operational by (if not before) the closure of the Apia Samoa Temple.

The news release notes: "During the closure, members from the temple district are encouraged to attend other temples as their circumstances permit. Those desiring to receive their own ordinances should contact a temple in the surrounding area to make the necessary arrangements." I wouldn't be surprised if the plan is to enlarge the temple and bring electrical and mechanical equipment up to date, and/or remodel the existing floor plan. But until such details are known, that is merely my own opinion.

We now turn to the Hamburg Germany Temple. The announcement states: "The Hamburg Germany Temple will be built on a 1.4-acre site located at Wartenau 20, Hamburg, Germany." Other details, including the temple's size and an exterior rendering, will apparently be released at a later time. The confirmation of the temple's size an an exterior rendering will be released at a later date. This is the last temple originally announced in April 2023 to have any official details confirmed. I have accordingly updated my document showing announced temples for which no official information has been confirmed yet.

I am grateful for this announcement and the opportunity to share these thoughts with you here. 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 Honor of Elder David A. Bednar's 74th Birthday

Hello again, everyone! Given that today is June 15, I wanted to take an opportunity to pay tribute to Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who is marking his 74th birthday today. Let's get into some details about Elder Bednar's life thus far:

David Allan Bednar was born in Oakland California on this day in 1952 to Anthony George and Lavina Whitney Bednar. His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saint ancestors, but his father was not a member of the Church. 

Despite not having a formal Church membership, Anthony Bednar fully supported the rest of his family in their Church membership, and he would often step in and participate in meetings and Church activities, including various service projects, whereby he was in essence functioning in the same supportive way as other Church members did, but as one who was not a Church member. Young David would often ask Anthony when he would be baptized, to which his father replied that he would do so when he felt it was right.

Elder Bednar served a mission in southern Germany, during which time, then-Elder Boyd K. Packer visited his mission, and was advised that to get through the necessary border security, he would need money. The future President Packer would later recount in General Conference that a young missionary provided him with the money he needed, and later revealed that Elder Bednar had been that missionary. 

Elder Bednar attended BYU-Provo, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in organizational communication. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from the prestigious Purdue University. He met Susan Kae Robinson at an activity for young adults. He recounts that they were playing flag football and that he threw a pass, which she caught. Susan would later note that, incidentally, that was the only time she could remember catching a pass. That experience left a positive impression on both of them, and the two started dating not long afterward. 

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975, and would go on to raise 3 sons together. One major highlight of Elder Bednar's life came long after his marriage. Anthony called his son one day and asked, "Would you be free on (and he named a near-future date)? I would like you to come and baptize me." He was able to baptize and confirm his father, and also ordained him to the priesthood.

He spent his vocational career as an educator at several secondary schools. For four years (1980-1984), he was an assistant professor of management at what was then the College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. He spent the next two years as an assistant professor at Texas Tech University, after which he returned to Arkansas, where he served first as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, then as the Director of the Management Decision-Making Lab. 

During this time, he was recognized as being an outstanding educator through the receipt of many prestigious awards and honors. He also had a few ecclesiastical responsibilities within the Church at around the same time. He spent several months as a bishop, then went on to serve first as the president of what was then the Fort Smith, Arkansas Stake, then as the first president of the newly established Rogers Arkansas Stake. During the final months of his service as a stake president, he was called to serve as a regional representative. In 1997, he was among the first men called to serve in the new position of area seventy. 

That same year, he was also called by the Church Board of Education to serve as president of Ricks College. His tenure there spanned from 1997-2004, during which time he led the transition of that college to BYU-Idaho. In October 2004, as a result of the apostolic vacancies due to the July deaths of Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight (which occurred 10 days apart), Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the vacancies would be filled by Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar.

At the time of his call to the apostleship, Elder Bednar, who was 52 at that time, was the youngest apostle to have been called since then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks (who had been called to the apostleship in 1984 at the age of 51). Although he immediately commenced his service in the apostleship, he also continued to serve as president of BYU-Idaho for several weeks before the appointment of an interim president. Elder Bednar's tenure as an educator has molded how he speaks and ministers as an apostle. 

One of his common traditions, as he speaks at General Conference, is to invite the Holy Ghost to bless him and the rest of us as we listen to his remarks. Since his October 2004 call to the apostleship, he has given 44 addresses in General Conference, which are always well crafted and insightful, and are well worthy of review by all of us. He is currently the second-most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (which, including the current members of the First Presidency, makes him the fourth in overall apostolic seniority), and the fifth oldest among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the eighth oldest among all 15 ordained apostles. 

While I have never had the honor of personally meeting him, from the moment his apostolic call was first announced and onward since then, I have had a testimony that his apostolic call has been inspired and directed by the Lord, which I reiterate to you all today. Given his relatively younger age in comparison to both the five apostles senior to him, and four of the eight apostles who are junior to him, I fully believe that Elder Bednar may serve as Church President or at least in the First Presidency at some point. That, of course, will be up to the Lord’s will and the health and longevity of Presidents Oaks, Eyring, and Uchtdorf. And I want to make it very clear that such a prospect is merely my personal opinion and not anything I can attribute to anyone else. 

I am grateful to have been able to provide this tribute to Elder Bednar as he marks his 74th birthday today. 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 section 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Date Announced for the Huntsville Alabama Temple

Hello again, everyone! As anticipated, the First Presidency made the next major temple construction announcement a few moments ago. The groundbreaking ceremonyt has been set for the Huntsville Alabama Temple. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 15, under the direction of Elder John D. Amos of the United States Southeast Area Presidency, who is a native of Alabama.

This will be the third straight groundbreaking in three weeks, and the tenth overall for 2026. I hope the First Presidency can continue to set one groundbreaking per week over the next few weeks. That said, I am a little surprised that we only got 1 groundbreaking announcement today. I had hoped for additional dedications to be set, but apparently that's not in the cards this week. With yesterday's announcement of the first leaders for the Modesto Californina and Knoxville Tennessee Temples, I am reasonably certain both of those temples will be dedicated by the end of this year.

There are now a total of 6 temples for which dedications might be set soon. I had mentioned that the Church might be having difficulties adding the necessary finishing touches to some temples outside the Americas. Whether or not that is the case, obviously scheduling a temple dedication is easy once those fnal touches are taken care of. So hopefully the 6 temples with major construction completed (or in one case, nearly completed) might soon have dedication announcements.

I was also surprised by the announcement of this groundbreaking, as I was only estimating it to occur either in the late months of this year or in the early months of 2027. But that just goes to show that, as always, the Lord's ways and thoughts are higher than my ways and thoughts. While this post was being prepared, the Church News also covered today's groundbreaking announcement.

I am grateful we got this announcement today. 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.

UPDATED: Current Apostolic Data

Hello again, everyone! It has been a tradition on this blog for me to provide updates on apostolic data roughly every 7 weeks. Having last done so on Sunday, April 19, it is time to publish the newest such data. As with every two-part update, the first part contains updated data about the age and tenure length records for all 18 Church Presidents (including our current prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks), in addition to updated information on the tenure lengths for each of the 30 Presidents of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (including current Quorum President, Henry B. Eyring). 

The first document likewise notes information on the tenure length rankings for three sets of apostolic groups: the longest-serving First Presidencies (with the current First Presidency not even making that list for the next 6 years), the longest-serving groups of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and groups of all ordained apostles (the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles). The tenure clock on the current groups (the Quorum of the Twelve and the 15 apostles overall) reset when Elder Gilbert was ordained.

Meanwhile, the second part of today's update shows the long-form and decimal ages for the members of the current First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the same data for the combined First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in addition to the average ages of each group, plus apostolic nonagenarians (with 2 of the current 15 apostles being on that list), and a final table showing the remaining time between today and when each of the other 13 apostles will become nonagenarians and join that list.

With these updates being published every 7 weeks, the next one will be provided here on Sunday,July 26. Hopefully, this post is of interest to you all. Again, I offer an open invitation to anyone who has any questions about those documents to ask them here. 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. 

Initial Predictions for the October 2026 General Conference

Hello again, everyone! Having previously covered the results of my April 2026 General Conference predictions, I am pleased to now present my initial predictions for the October 2026 General Conference, consisting of my projected speaker lineup, my predictions for changes in general Church leadership, and my masterlist of all prospective locations in which I believe a temple could be announced.

The projected speaker lineup could use a little more explanation. It used to be that we'd hear from members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric during every General Conference. The last time a member of the Presiding Bishopric spoke was when then-Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé spoke in April 2025, and that was the same conference in which we last heard from a member of the Presidency of the Seventy (Elder S. Mark Palmer, who, as we know, will be released from that Presidency and granted emeritus status on August 1 of this year). 

I've been wondering if the Church has decided to put members of the Presidency of the Seventy and the Presiding Bishopric on the same speaking rotation schedule as the other General Authority Seventies. If so, then it's almost certain we will hear from a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, based on the fact that Elder Edward Dube last spoke in April 2021, and all of the other GA Seventies who last spoke in April 2021 spoke in April of this year.

I don't know what that might indicate about the Presiding Bishopric, but I have included both Elder Edward Dube and Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell in e predictions just in case. Also, ordinarily, when a smaller number of GA Seventies is sustained in April, almost all or all of them speak in October. Given that I'm including both Elder Dube and Bishop Waddell in my predictions, there wasn't room in this lineup for all 8 of the new GA Seventies named in April.

As far as the changes in general Church leadership go, barring anything unexpected, only changes in area seventies appear likely to occur this time around. And although I do not anticipate any new temples being announced in General Conference, my masterlist shows those candidates that might be announced in between now and the weekend of the October 2026 General Conference.

Other than these notes, the predictions speak for themselves. I gladly welcome any questions or comments on them. Just to reiterate, this is my initial draft of these predictions. I could see other iterations published if much clarification or correction is needed. 

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.