Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part One—Overview and Scheduled/Anticipated Events in 2019

Hello again, everyone! In view of the mass number of temple developments which have occurred within the last 3 weeks or so since I posted my estimates for known temple events, I thought it was high time I again revisited them. So this will be the first in a multiple-post series. This post will share those events which have been or may yet be scheduled to occur this year, while the next post will share the events anticipated to occur in 2020 and 2021, and the final post will cover those known events which are anticipated to occur between 2022 and 2024. So let's get right into those updates.

The scheduled or estimated events for this year follow below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do: That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

2019:

Thursday May 16-Saturday May 25: President Nelson’s Pacific Ministry Tour

Note: On April 10, 2019, the Church announced that this tour would take place on these dates. That gave me hope that some temple news would be announced during the tour. While making the scheduled stop in Auckland New Zealand, President Nelson confirmed the site for the temple in that city on May 21, 2019. This gives me hope that a groundbreaking for that temple could take place within the next year or less.

Sunday June 2: Dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On January 10, 2019, the First Presidency announced this temple’s dedication. Then, on May 14, 2019, a Brazilian newspaper indicated that the temple would be dedicated by our native Brazilian apostle, Elder Ulisses Soares.

Saturday June 8: Groundbreaking for the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple

Note: On March 7, 2019, the groundbreaking for this temple was announced. Since this temple is being built within the South America Northwest Area, the president of that area, Elder Enrique R. Falabella will preside over it. And based on the fact that the design of this temple reminds me of the Mesa Arizona Temple, I am anticipating a 3-4 year construction period for that process.

Sunday June 16: Rededication of the Oakland California Temple (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s rededication was announced on December 18, 2018. Since senior apostles have presided at temple rededications lately, Elder David A. Bednar, who was born in Oakland, could be asked to preside, as could Elder Quentin L. Cook, who has connections to this area.

Monday July 8: Hong Kong China Temple Renovation Closure

Note: On January 30, 2019, the First Presidency announced the renovation closure for this temple, with the plans to be detailed more fully at a later time. I am anticipating that that process will take around 3 years, so I have set a preliminary estimate of mid-to-late 2022.

Sunday September 1: Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On November 14, 2018, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple (with the latter originally set for mid-May). Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication was pushed back to this date in view of delays in the construction process. It is possible that President Nelson could preside at this temple’s dedication, and that perhaps that would be done as part of a Global Ministry Tour, but time will tell whether he dedicates this temple, or delegates that task to either of his counselors, or any of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Given that Elder Neil L. Andersen broke ground for this temple and is fluent in French, it wouldn’t shock me if he were sent back to rededicate this temple.

Friday September 6: President Nelson’s 95^th Birthday Celebration

Note: On March 14, 2019, the Church announced this milestone celebration for President Nelson, which will occur 3 days before his actual 95^th birthday. In view of the fact that President Nelson has announced 27 temples since his prophetic administration began, it seems appropriate to mention this milestone birthday among other events on this timeline.

Sunday September 15: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (166^th operating temple; confirmed)

Note: On March 4, 2019, the First Presidency announced the open house and dedication information for this temple. What I noted above in terms of who might preside at this event (and under what circumstances that might occur) applies to this event as well.

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 189^th Semiannual General Conference:

Note: Given that there have been 27 new temples announced during the first 3 General Conferences of President Nelson’s prophetic administration, I believe he will continue to announce temples every six months in General Conference, and may also announce some in between each April, October, and subsequent April.

Sunday October 13: Private rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency announced that a one-session private rededication for this temple would take place on this date (following a one-week public open house), with President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presiding.

Sunday October 20: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple (confirmed)

Note: On March 5, 2019, the First Presidency announced that this temple would be rededicated on this date. I am anticipating that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, our native German apostle will be asked to rededicate this temple.

Sunday November 3: Private rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency announced the one-week open house and one-session private rededication for this temple. Since Paraguay is a neighbor nation to Argentina, and since Elder D. Todd Christofferson is a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who has a connection to Argentina, I could see the Brethren asking him to oversee this temple’s dedication.

Monday November 4: St. George Utah Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: This temple’s renovation was announced on January 25, 2019. Given the fact that seismic and systemic updates are anticipated to occur, I have set a preliminary general completion estimate of mid-to-late 2022.

Sunday November 17: Private rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple (confirmed)

Note: On May 3, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the one-week public open house for this temple, which will be privately rededicated on this date by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

December 15: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (167^th operating temple)

Note: On May 21, 2019, the First Presidency also announced the dedication of this temple.  Since Peru is a neighboring nation to Chile, and since Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spent two years presiding over what was then the Chile Area of the Church, it is possible the First Presidency could assign him to dedicate this temple.

Sunday December 29: Salt Lake Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed); Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168^th operating temple)

Note: On April 19, 2019, President Nelson announced renovation plans for the Salt Lake Temple, identifying this date for its’ closure. I will offer an estimate for its’ completion (which is anticipated in early-to-mid 2024) later in this document. Subsequently, in May 2019, I received new information which indicated that the completion of this temple could occur in either late 2019 or early 2020. I am going to be optimistic and say that the dedication of that temple could also occur on this date, but will update my thoughts on that as I find out more.

Final note on 2019: Groundbreakings have been held so far this year for the Urdaneta Philippines, Bangkok Thailand, Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Quito Ecuador Temples, with the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple groundbreaking scheduled to occur in roughly 2 weeks. Given what I have heard about 2019, it seems more likely than not that several other temples will have a groundbreaking at some point during that year. In particular, I am watching for information on the Brasilia Brazil, Greater Manila Philippines, Richmond Virginia, Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, Saratoga Springs Utah, Bengaluru India, Auckland New Zealand and Puebla Mexico Temples. Even if not all of them have a groundbreaking occur in 2019, many of them will likely have a groundbreaking scheduled before the end of this year.

President Nelson Visits Tonga; 5 New Temple Presidents Called

Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared this report on President Nelson's visit to Tonga, which highlights his visit with the King and Queen of Tonga, and the member devotional at which he spoke. Following that devotional, the Nelsons and Gongs crossed the international dateline, and are now in Papeete Tahiti. They will have around a day to rest and regroup, and will then cap their Pacific Ministry Tour by attending a cultural celebration marking the 175th anniversary since missionaries first arrived in French Polynesia, and will speak at a devotional that evening which will be broadcast to all congregations in Tahiti.

As that ministry tour winds to a close, although we did not hear anything about the Brethren looking over site locations for the Pago Pago American Samoa or Neiafu Tonga Temple, it is tremendous that the site location for the Auckland New Zealand Temple has been confirmed. And as I mentioned yesterday, I am anticipating that at least 9 temples will have a groundbreaking within the next year or so. But I am hoping that we may hear about many more groundbreakings, especially in view of the unexpected way 8 temples will have had a groundbreaking within the first half of this year,

Having noted that, I also wanted to mote that the Copenhagen Denmark Temple is today marking the 15th anniversary of its' dedication, and that 5 new temple presidents have been called to serve, among which are the first president for the Arequipa Peru Temple, 1 former area seventy, and 1 former counselor in the presidency of the same temple for which he will assume oversight. With the announced calls of these 5 additional temple presidents, the total number of new temple presidents called is 62.

There are also  2 other temples under construction (Winnipeg Manitoban and Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire) for which the first presidents may be called before the end of this year. And in view of the fact that only 1 of the remaining 8 temples which are on my list for this year has not been or will not be affected by a renovation, it may be anyone's guess how many other temples might have a new president announced at some point this year. An updated copy of my list of the temples which have had or may yet have a new president announced follows below. 

In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do: That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as longa as such comments are made in accordance with the stablished guidelines.Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

New presidents have been called for the following temples:

1.      Copenhagen Denmark

2.      Manila Philippines (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

3.      Tampico Mexico

4.      Philadelphia Pennsylvania

5.      Spokane Washington

6.      Manhattan New York

7.      Columbia River Washington

8.      St. Paul Minnesota

9.      Jordan River Utah

10.  Medford Oregon

11.  Rexburg Idaho

12.  Provo Utah

13.  London England

14.  Tegucigalpa Honduras (not anticipated; current president has only served for one year)

15.  Johannesburg South Africa

16.  Fort Collins Colorado

17.  Panama City Panama

18.  Nauvoo Illinois

19.  Suva Fiji (not anticipated; current president has only served for one year)

20.  Paris France (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

21.  Dallas Texas

22.  Guadalajara Mexico

23.  Gilbert Arizona

24.  Detroit Michigan

25.  Anchorage Alaska

26.  Twin Falls Idaho

27.  Sapporo Japan

28.  Kyiv Ukraine

29.  Columbus Ohio

30.  Calgary Alberta (not anticipated; current president has only served for two years)

31.  Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico

32.  Ciudad Juarez Mexico

33.  Monterrey Mexico

34.  Idaho Falls Idaho

35.  Orlando Florida

36.  Halifax Nova Scotia

37.  Mexico City Mexico

38.  Santiago Chile

39.  Nashville Tennessee

40.  Merida Mexico

41.  Star Valley Wyoming

42.  Winter Quarters Nebraska

43.  Portland Oregon

44.  Montreal Quebec

45.  Santo Domingo Dominican Republic

46.  Seattle Washington

47.  Campinas Brazil

48.  Perth Australia

49.  Curitiba Brazil

50.  Melbourne Australia

51.  Chicago Illinois

52.  Reno Nevada

53.  Seoul Korea

54.  Cochabamba Bolivia

55.  Rio de Janeiro Brazil (first president)

56.  Hartford Connecticut

57.  Nuku’alofa Tonga

58.  Arequipa Peru (fist president)

59.  Aba Nigeria

60.  Lima Peru

61.  Birmingham Alabama

62.  Fresno California

The first presidents will likely be announced for the following new temples:

1.      Winnipeg Manitoba

2.      Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire

List of currently-operating temples which may be getting a new president in 2019:

1.      Hamilton New Zealand (Note: It is possible that the Church could hold off on calling a new president for this temple until its’ rededication is held in 2021)

2.      Hong Kong China (Note: It is possible that the Church could hold off on calling a new president for this temple until its’ rededication in 2021 or 2022)

3.      Memphis Tennessee (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

4.      Oklahoma City Oklahoma (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

5.      Raleigh North Carolina (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

6.      St. George Utah (Note: Since this temple is scheduled to close for renovation later this year, the Church could hold off on calling a new president until the renovation is complete)

7.      Veracruz Mexico

8.      Washington D.C. (Note: Since the current president of this temple had his service interrupted by its’ renovation, the Church could hold off another year or two on replacing him.)

I

Temples Which Have a Groundbreaking Anticipated or Are Announced

Hello again, everyone! Given the whirlwind couple of days we have observed in terms of temple-related developments and announcements, I have again reanalyzed the sections of my temple construction progress report that cover temples for which I am anticipating a groundbreaking within the next 10 months or so. Part of my reanalysis involved resorting the temples in both of these sections based on the newest official information which has been released.

The result of my analysis has been placing 9 temples in the former section and 21 in the latter. Of the 9 for which a groundbreaking is "anticipated", I have felt at least 5 are most likely to have a groundbreaking between August 1 and December 31 of this year. But I would not in any way be shocked if more than that wind up actually having a groundbreaking, and I have 3-4 of the announced temples for which I anticipate more information will be released in the near future, which would enable me to offer groundbreaking estimates for those as well.

I heard somewhere that President Nelson wants to keep the backlog of announced temples at no more than 30 at any given time. Ideally, there wouldn't be a backlog at all, of course, but if work is done continuously to clear the queue between each General Conference, there may be nothing preventing the prophet from announcing additional temples every six months, with some in between as circumstances require.

And for the moment, I stand by my belief that between 12 and 16 temples may be announced in the General Conference that is upcoming in 4.5 months or so. And speaking of that conference, just a reminder that I am accepting feedback on my latest list of potential temple locations that may be announced during the October 2019 General Conference. That being said, the two updated sections in question follow below. In order to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do:


That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privlege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.

Groundbreaking anticipated:

180. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; property fence installed around temple site; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

181. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

182. Richmond Virginia Temple: Preliminary plans submitted to local government on March 22, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

183. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site confirmation; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

184. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson visited potential site on April 17, 2018; groundbreaking anticipated in late 2019.

185. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Preliminary plans submitted to local government on May 7, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

186. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

187. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed on May 21, 2019; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

Note: President Nelson toured potential locations for the temple on April 19, 2018.

188. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

Note on announced temples: During 2019, I had reasons to repeatedly reevaluate the information I had available, and made further adjustments to this section following the completion of the revision process for the “Groundbreaking anticipated” section. I have felt that more information is needed on each of these temples before I offer any kind of estimate for their groundbreaking ceremonies. But as such information is made available, I will be sure to make further alterations to this section as needed.

Announced Temples (for which more information is needed before I provide a groundbreaking estimate):

189. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site location confirmed.

190. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; site has been confirmed.

191. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

192. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site acquired; awaiting official confirmation.

193. Yuba City California Temple: Planning and approval phase; potential site identified; awaiting official confirmation.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

194. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; some prospective site locations identified.

Note: A potential site has been identified (though not yet confirmed) for this temple.

195. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

196. Washington County Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

197. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

198. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

199. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

200. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site]p[opop-announcement.

201. Pago Pago American Samoa Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

202. Okinawa City Okinawa (Japan) Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

203. Neiafu Tonga Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

204. Tooele Valley Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement

205. Moses Lake Washington Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

206. San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

207. Antofagasta Chile Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

208. Budapest Hungary Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.

209. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city (and site) announcement.

1700th Blog Post: BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Presidency Confirms Auckland Temple Site; Announces Open Houses; Dedication for Arequipa Peru Temple; Rededication for the Asuncion Paraguay Temple

Hello again, everyone! Multiple breaking developments have been reported on temples within the last several hours. and I am pleased to bring those to you all in this, my 1700th post on this blog. Firstly, President Nelson's time in Auckland has come to a close, and, among other things, he confirmed that the land held in reserve in Auckland will be the spot for that temple. No artist's rendering or groundbreaking information has been released. But the site confirmation gives me hope that will soon be the case.

The Church News additionally reports additional information regarding President Nelson's time in Auckland, in addition to a report on how Australians are already responding to President Nelson's invitations he offered them a few days ago. If that were the only news to report today, that would be significant enough in nature to warrant rejoicing.

But the First Presidency also announced information on the open houses and respective rededication/dedication for the Asuncion Paraguay and Arequipa Peru Temples. In Paraguay, the open house will be held for one week between the Saturdays of October 12 and 19, with the exception of Sunday October 13.

The temple's single-session private rededication will follow on Sunday November 3 at 10:00 am. While there is no indication as to who will preside at that event, the temple will reopen to patrons on Tuesday November 12. For the Arequipa Peru Temple, its' open house will run for just over two weeks, occuring between Friday November 15 and Saturday November 30.

A youth devotional will be held on Saturday December 14, with the dedication of the temple being held the following day, Sunday December 15, in 3 sessions. Both the youth devotional and the dedicatory sessions for that temple will be broadcast by satellite to meetinghouses throughout the new temple district. The temple will open for ordinance work on Thursday December 19.

I have to say that I was anticipating President Nelson would visit the site for the Auckland Temple, but wasn't sure he would confirm its' location. Likewise, I was anticipating the dedication information being announced for the Arequipa Peru Temple, but was pleasantly surprised by the announcement of the rededication information for the Asuncion Paraugay Temple. I had heard that might be coming, but wasn't sure it would be announced so soon.

It appears that some of you may have already commented on some of these developments in the threads of another post. If that is the case, I thank you for those contributions and will address them later this afternoon. In the meantime, it is my hope that, with so many other dedications and rededications announced lately, the next several sets of temple-related announcements will be for groundbreakings.

It also appeears more likely than not that the Durban South Africa Temple's dedication will be one of the first temple events in 2020. While there is a part of me that hopes something might happen sooner than that for that temple, until further notice, that is my assumption. In the meantime, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple developments and will do my best to pass word of those along to you all as I receive them.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you alll in everything you do.

Update Reported on Pocatello Idaho Temple; Additional Church News Developments Reported

Hello again, everyone! While I hope any additional feedback on any other content will continue to be offered (including and especially on the potential locations for which a temple may be announced during the October 2019 General Conference), I wanted to pass along an update on the Pocatello Idaho Temple which has been reported, in addition to a veritable plethora of new developments which have been recently reporeted by the Church's official Newsroom site, and on the Church News website as well. There is a lot to get to here, so, without further ado, let's dive right into it all.

Firstly, for the Pocatello Idaho Temple, new information received today indicates that a gravel layer has been added to the temple's subbasement during its' excavation, and that excavation work is progressing on the basement, which has now had a layer of dirt added.. There is still no word yet of any progress on the Bangkok Thailand, Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Quito Ecuador Temples as of yet, but hopefully that will change soon. I similarly hope to hear word of more temples having a groundbreaking scheduled, and the announcement of the open house and dedication being made for the Arequipa Peru Temple.

With that said, let's move on to the many Church news developments which have been reported. I had mentioned in a recent comment on an earlier thread that the reason for President Nelson's visit to Wellington New Zealand wwas a courtesy call to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was formerly a member of the Church (although she resigned her membership due to the Church's stance on same-gender marriage), and whose uncle, Elder Ian S Ardern, serves as First Counselor and will start serving in August as President of the Church's Pacific Area.

The Newsroom and the Church News provided coverage of that visist, during which tiume President Nelson and Elder Gong presented her with a copy of her family history, while President Nelson expressed his personal condolence and offer to help both through financial and humanitarian aid in light of the recent shooting at the mosque in Christchurch. The Nelsons and Gongs now head to Auckland, where the leaders are anticipated to meet with members andd missionaries, and will also likely asseess the land which has been held in reserve for a temple for a while. If that happens, hopefully a groundbreaking will be able to be held later this year.

Turning now to other news which has been reported, after a hiatus of several weeks, the Church News published biographies for several more new mission presidents that will begin serving in their fields of labor in July. And with the dedication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple having occurred yesterday, the Newsroom gave general details, while the Church News specified why that event was personally significant to President Henry B. Eyring, Second Coounselor in the First Presidency, who presided over that rededication. The Church News also shared the text of the rededicatory prayer President Eyring gave for that temple yesterday.

The Church News also highlighted why President Nelson's upcoming visit to Tonga will be significant to a Tongan mother, with a more complete version of that story being posted on the Pacific Newsroom. And with the United States preparing to observe the annual Memorial Day (which is used to honor deceased members of the Armed Services, although some take the opportunity to remember others in their lives who have passed away as well), which will occur one week from today, the Church News has sent out a request for feedback about experiences relating thereunto.

I do continue to monitor any and all Church news and temple developments, and will be sure to pass word of those along to you all as I receive word of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-adeed content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do..