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. 

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.

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.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Announced for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency set a groundbreaking date for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple. The groundbreaking will take place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, under the direction of Elder Hutch U. Fale of the United States West Area Presidency. This will be the 13th temple groundbreaking in 2026. 

The 13th temple groundbreaking in 2025 occurred on August 23, so we are only a few days behind last year's groundbreakings. I am hoping many other groundbreakings will take place during the remainder of this year, and that 2026 groundbreakings will well surpass 2025 groundbreakings. I am more than slightly surprised that we didn't also get either one or two more groundbreakings or another temple dedication set. Right now, we have 4 temples with major construction wrapped up, and 5 more nearing completion.

But maybe we'll see one or more dedications and one or more groundbreakings announced next week. Given that the First Presidency announced this today, I'm hopeful we can count on Monday announcements continuing through the remainder of this month and for the foreseeable future. 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 Tulsa Oklahoma Temple; Site Location, Exterior Rendering, and Groundbreaking Announced for the Victoria British Columbia Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency announced a groundbreaking for the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple and also announced the site location, released the exterior rendering, and set a groundbreaking ceremony for the Victoria Britsh Columbia Temple. Let's get right into the details:

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple will take place on Saturday, August 22, under the presiding direction of Elder Pedro X. Larreal of the United States Southwest Area Presidency. The groundbreaking announcement follows the temple's October 2023 announcement, with the site location confirmed in mid-August 2024, and the rendering released in mid-October 2025.

We now turn to the Victoria British Columbia Temple, which will rise on a 4.7-acre site along Mantle Heights Road, Langford, British Columbia, Canada. The single-story edifice will be approximately 11,400 square feet and will feature a patron waiting area. The temple's exterior rendering has been released, and I will let that rendering speak for itself. But if any of you have any comments about the rendering, I would love to read your insights. That temple's groundbreaking is also set to occur on Saturday, August 22, 2026, but it will be under the presiding direction of Elder James E. Evanson of the Canada Area Presidency.

Given that the two groundbreakings are on the same date, I looked into the order in which they might be conducted, and Tulsa Oklahoma time is ahead of Victoria British Columbia time, so I assume the groundbreakings will be in the same order in which they were announced today. This brings the total number of groundbreakings for this year to 12 so far, and there are surely more on the way, so I still think there's a good chance that 2026 groundbreakings will outpace 2025 groundbreakings.

I am grateful for these announcements and the chance to share them with you all 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.

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.

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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Groundbreaking Ceremony Announced for the Naga Philippines Temple

Hello again, everyone! This afternoon, the First Presidency officially announced the groundbreaking ceremony for the Naga Philippines Temple, which will take place on Saturday, August 8, 2026, with Elder Steven D. Shumway of the Philippines Area Presidency presiding thereover.  The groundbreaking announcement follows the temple's announcement in October 2022, and the temple's site announcement and exterior rendering release in February of this year, 

This will be the second temple to have a groundbreaking in August, following the August 1 groundbreaking for the Santos Brazil Temple that was announced last Tuesday. I hope that these back-to-back groundbreaking announcements that have taken place over the last two weeks, with their ceremonies also coming on back-to-back Saturdays, will be the beginning of a potential string of week-by-week groundbreaking announcements followed by week-by-week ceremonies. 

I also wouldn't be shocked if the Church announces multiple groundbreakings in the coming weeks, whether or not they have more than one announced per week. With this announcement, the Church has scheduled the ninth groundbreaking for 2026. By the second week in August of last year, the Church had 12 groundbreakings take place. So hopefully 2026 can eventually keep pace with (or surpass) 2025 in temple groundbreaking. I am grateful for today's announcement and the opportunity to share it with you all 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Opening Arrangements Set for the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple; Groundbreaking Set for the Santos Brazil Temple; Preliminary Details Released for the Caldwell Idaho and Greenville South Carolina Temples

Hello again, everyone! In view of Memorial Day being observed yesterday, I had theorized that the next new major temple developments would be announced today. That theory proved to be correct, with the First Presidency announcing updates for 4 temples in the Americas: opening arrangements for the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple;  a groundbreaking for the Santos Brazil Temple, and the preliminary details for the Caldwell Idaho and Greenville South Carolina Temples. There's a lot to get into, so let's jump right in:

We start with the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple. A media day will be held on Wednesday, September 21, with tours for invited guests over the next two days. The public is invited to tour the temple between Thursday, September 24, and Saturday, October 10, 2026, except for Sunday, September 27 and the weekend of the October 2026 General Conference (Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4). The dedication will take place on Sunday, November 1, 2026, with Elder Dale G, Renlund presiding thereat. 

At first, the timing of that dedication baffled me a little. In Latin American nations, the Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2. But then it occurred to me that there is no better way to honor one's kindred dead than to dedicate a space wherein those dead have the opportunity to be redeemed, if they choose to accept it. I am glad we got that dedication announcement, although I was hoping for one or two others as well.

Let's move on to the Santos Brazil Temple's groundbreaking. It will take place on Saturday, August 1, under the direction of Elder Ronald M. Barcellos of the Brazil Area Presidency. This follows the temple's announcement in April 2022, (the San Luis Potosi Mexico Temple was announced during that same General Conference). The site confirmation occurred the following November. No exterior rendering has been released for that temple yet, but hopefully that's coming down the pike soon.

The timing for the groundbreaking also surprised me (I had thought it was a little too far out), but then I realized August 1 is just two months away. I had just recently adjusted my groundbreaking estimate for this temple to early 2028, but clearly, I was off on that. And Elder Barcellos is conducting this groundbreaking on the same day his assignment as a member of the Brazil Area Presidency formally begins (though I suspect all GA Seventies serving abroad in area presidencies will be in place a day or two before those assignments become effective.

That said, let's move on to the site location confirmations and preliminary details for the newest Idaho and South Carolina Temples.  A 19.2-acre site located at the southwest corner of W Orchard Ave. and S. Florida Ave., Canyon County, Idaho, will be home to the Caldwell Idaho Temple. That sacred edifice will be rooghly 82,000 square feet, quite a bit larger than I thought it would be. An adjacent meetinghouse and ancillary buidling will also be included in the project.

As for the Greenville, South Carolina, Temple, the 18,850-square-foot, single-story temple will rise on an 8.8-acre site at the south intersection of Independence Boulevard/Ponders Road and Roper Mountain Road, Greenville, South Carolina. No other facilities appear to be included for this temple, but I will note that both of these temples were announced by President Nelson in Aprill 2025. I will also have files wiith further analysis psoted in the comments below.

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 Cody Wyoming and Wichita Kansas Temples; Preliminary Details Released for the Rosario Argentina Temple; and Preliminary Site Work Underway for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has released the opening arrangements for the Wichita Kansas Temple and the Cody Wyoming Temple and the preliminary details for the Rosario Argentina Temple, in addition to acknowledging that  preliminary site work is underway for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple. There's a lot to get to, so let's get going!

A media day for the Wichita Kansas Temple will take place on Monday, September 21, with tours for ivited gues the next couple of days. The public open house will run from Thursday, September 24, through Saturday, October 10 (excluding Sunday, September 27 and General Conference weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4). The dedication of that temple will follow on Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM (with a rebroadcast at 2:00 PM), under the direction of Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Meanwhile, for the Cody Wyoming Temple, a media day is set for Monday, August 24, with tours for invited guests the next two days. The public open house will run from Thursday, August 27, through Saturday, September 12 (excluding the Sundays of August 31 and September 7). The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM (with a rebroadcast at 2:00 PM). The presiding official for the Cody Wyoming Temple dedication will be announced closer to the time, so it could be a member of the First Presidency.

As for the Rosario Argentina Temple, the edifice will rise on a 1.59-acre (6400 m2) site bordered by Santiago bis, Alvear and Güemes streets in Rosario City, Santa Fe, Argentina. The size and site parameters will be announced at a later time. As for the Couer d'Alene Idaho Temple, the Newsroom notes the following information:

"Preliminary utility and infrastructure work to support the future Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now underway following approvals from the City of Coeur d'Alene.

"City approvals allow the Church to begin initial site preparation work, including grading and the installation of underground utility infrastructure such as water, sewer, and electrical service connections to the city’s existing systems. Design work on the temple continues, and a date for an official groundbreaking ceremony has not yet been announced."

So, there you have it. The latest temple news, delivered a little later than usual, but the Newsroom is back up, and that's the important thing. 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: Rendering Provided for the Rapid City South Dakota Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has released the rendering for the Rapid City South Dakota Temple today. The release of the rendering follows the site announcement in late February of this year and the temple's original announcement by President Russell M. Nelson in the April 2025 General Conference. The rendering speaks for itself. I am grateful for this update on a personal level, as my dad served in the South Dakota Rapid City Mission.

Since that is the only temple update today, I will let the rendering speak for itself. If any of you have anything to share about it, feel free to do so in the comments section below. 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 Montpelier Idaho Temple

Hello again, everyone! As anticipated, the First Presidency announced another temple dedication today. This pertains to the Montpelier Idaho Temple. Let's get right into the relevant details:

A media day will take place on Tuesday, September 8, followed by VIP/private tours the next day. The public will be invited to tour the temple between Thursday, September 10, and Saturday, September 26 (excluding the Sundays of September 13 and 20).  The temple dedication has been set to occur on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM, with a rebroadcast at 2:00 PM, with both the dedication and its rebroadcast being made available to all units in the temple district. 

As has been the trend for several other temples, the presiding apostle has not been identified. That is usually indicative that a member of the First Presidency will fill that assignment. When that has been the case, it has usually been either President Oaks or President Eyring. With those apostles being in their 90s, their health situations are less predictable, which is why the assignment has likely been made, but the confirmation of who will preside will only be confirmed closer to the time.

This is the second dedication set to occur on October 18, the other being the previously announced dedication of the Managua Nicaragua Temple. With daylight saving time in effect during the dedication windows for these two temples, they will be simultaneously dedicated, marking only the second time this has happened under the prophetic administration of President Oaks (the first time will occur on the first Sunday in June with the dedications of the Yorba Linda California and Willamette Valley Oregon Temples occuring simultaneously).

Given that this is the second dedication set for October 18, most sources to which I have access list the Managua Nicaragua Temple before the Montpelier Idaho Temple in the queue. So we now have another dedication on the books. I did want to mention that I find it somewhat odd that the dedication of the Montpelier Idaho Temple was set before we got operning arrangements for the considerably smaller temples in San Luis Potosi Mexico, Pago Pago American Samoa, Torreon Mexico, and Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Temples.  

But it may be that temples in the United States are easier to furnish and finish than temples outside the United States. With that in mind, we might even see the Smithfield Utah Temple dedication announced before any of those 4 smaller temples. And whenever arrangements are announced for those 4 smaller temples, the opening arrangements will likely be shorter public open houses and dedications sandwiched between those already scheduled. It will be interesting to see it all unfold.

I am grateful to see all these temple dedications announced and scheduled. Hopefully, we see more dedications scheduled over the coming weeks. 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 Set for the Ephraim Utah Temple & Groundbreaking Announced for the Springfield Missouri Temple

Hello again, everyone! The First Presidency has set opening arrangements for the Ephraim Utah Temple and a groundbreaking ceremony for the Springfield Missouri Temple. Let's get righton into the details: The media day for the Ephraim Utah Temple will be held on Monday, August 31, 2026, with invited guests touring the temple on Tuesday, September 1. The public open house will follow between Wednesday, September 2 and Saturday, September 19, excluding the Sundays of September 6 and 13. 

The temple dedication will follow on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM local time (with a reboradcast at 2:00 PM). Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside thereover. Elder Rasband brought the announcement of the Ephraim Utah Temple to the Saints in that district, so it is fitting that, in the absence of President Nelson, Elder Rasband will dedicate this temple. Interestingly enough, Elder Rasband will dedicate this temple one week before he presides over the previously announced dedication of the Managua Nicaragua Temple.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Springfield Missouri Temple wll take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Elder Aroldo V. Cavalcante of the United States Southeast Area Presidency will preside at the temple groundbreaking. I had theorized that Springfield Missouri might be one of the next temples to have groundbreakings, so I'm grateful I was proven to be correct in that theory.

As a result of today's announcement, I have updated my documents showing current apostles' temple dedications during President Oaks' prophetic administration and my side-by-side comparison of temple groundbreakings in 2025 vs. 2026. As another interesting fact, the groundbreaking for the Springfield Missouri Temple will take place before the groundbreaking for the Missoula Montana Temple, although both will occur on the same day. And the side-by-side comparison of temple groundbreakings shows we are not currently keeping pace with last year, though I suspect strongly that that will change in the near term.

The Church News has also covered the Ephraim dedication and the Springfield groundbreaking. I am pleased to have been able to provide this analysis for 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Announces Next Major Temple Construction Update

Hello again, everyone! Today, in a stunning announcement, dedications have been announced for the Belo Hiroizonte Brazil, Miraforeks Guatemala City Guatemala, and Managua Nicargua Temples, with groundbreaking announcements set for the Missoula Montana Temple. There is a lot to get into, so let's dive right in!

We start with the Belo Hironte Brazil Temple. A media day will take place on Wednesday, July 10, followed by two days of tours for invited guests. The public open house will follow between Saturday, June 13-Saturday, June 27, excluding the Sundays of June 14 and 21.  The dedication will follow on Sunday, August 16, with the presiding apostle to be named later. The dedicatory session will take place at 10:00 AM, with a rebroadcast at 2:00 Belo rizonte time (7:00 AM and 11:00 AM Utah time) and will be broadcast to all units in the temple district.

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The media day for the Miraflores Guatemala City Guatemala Temple will take plce on Monday, August 24, with VIp tours taking place over the next two days. The public open house will follow between Thursday, August 27, and Saturday September 12, excluding the Sundays of August 30 and September 6. Elder Gerrit W. Gong will preside at the temple's dedication on Sunday, October 11, 2026. at 10:00 AM *with a rebroadcast at 2:00 PM, both Central Standard time, as Gauwmala doesn't observe Daylight Saving time)

And the media day for the Maugua Nicaragua Temple will be held on Monday, September 7, with emdia days following on the next two days. The public open house will take place between Thursday, September 10, and Saturday, September 26 (excluding the Sundays,of September 13 and 20). The temple dedication will follow on October 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM, under the presiding direction of Elder Ronald A. Rasband. Managua time is equivalent to utah time, at least currently.

Ground will be broken for the Missoula, Montana Temple on Saturday, June 6, 2026. United States Central Area President Jose A. Teixdira will preside thereover. Annolunced by President Nelson in April 2023, the groundbreaking announcement follows the Monday November 4, 2024, with the exterior rendering relenased on on Monday, December 23, 2024.

Links to my updated docuemtns will be shared ASAP later this afternoon or evening. 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.

First Quarter 2026 Temple Construction Progress Review

Hello again, everyone! As the first quarter of 2026 draws to a close, I am pleased to provide a look back at temple construction progress during this quarter. This report shows where things stood at the beginning of the year, and this report shows where the temple construction progress stands at the end of this quarter. There have been several pretty significant updates during this quarter. And looking ahead to the second quarter of 2026, there is a lot to which we can look forward.

I am assuming that will continue to include Monday orTuesday announcements most weeks. So to the best of my ability, I will try to continue to share updates on that front here as soon as possible. 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: Renderings Released for the Vienna Austria & Culiacán Mexico Temples

Hello again, everyone! As anticipated, the First Presidency made its customary Monday announcement at the top of this 2:00 PM MDT hour. Today, the renderings were released for the temples in Vienna Austria and Culiacán Mexico, and a new location was announced for the Charlotte North Carolina Temple.

We start in Vienna Austria, where the site location was announced in late October 2021 and the temple was originally announced the previous April. The release of this exterior rendering means a lot to my wife, who served in the Mission (which also covered parts of Germany).  Groundwater has been measured at that temple site, but grass has been resown over the boreholes in question. I don't know how close the Vienna Austria Temple might be to a groundbreaking, but I have promised my wife I will find a way to get her back there when the temple in question is dedicated, which may be 4-5 years out.

We now turn to the Culiacán Mexico Temple. The release of its' exterior rendering follows the site location confirmation in mid-February of last year, which in turn followed that temple's announcement in October 2021. Given the size of the edifice in question (around 10,000 square feet), it may or may not wind up being a modular temple. Given that temples in Mexico generally get approvals faster than European temples, I think the construction will only take 2-3 years once it's underway, unless this temple is modular, in which case it may only take 18-21 months to construct.

No reason was given for the altered site location of the Charlotte North Carolina Temple. The temple's original site was announced in late May 2023, following that temple's original announcement in April 2023.  The single-story edifice of approximately 30,700 square feet will now rise at 5926 Mathews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Unless there is a later change, it will retain the Charlotte name.

So far, for the 106 announced temples, 1 has a groundbreaking scheduled, site locations have been confirmed for 56 more (all but 16 of which have also had renderings released), and 50 other temples are awaiting confirmation of any official information. So the queue of announced temples is moving along nicely. That said, I had hoped another temple dedication or two or one or two groundbreakings would be announced.

But I am not disappointed in the news that we got pertaining to these three temples, and hopefully, with one more Monday left prior to General Conference, we will see temple dedications and/or groundbreakings announced. Whatever happens in that regard, you can count on my covering it. In the meantime, 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 can after 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.