BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Open Houses, Rededications Announced for Raleigh North Carolina and Baton Rouge Louisiana Temples

Hello again, everone! In a stunning announcement which I certainly didn't expect this soon, the First Presidency detailed the open house and rededication information for the Raleigh North Carolina and Baton Rouge Louisiana Temples. Open house tours will be offered for the Raleigh NC Temple from Saturday September 21-Saturday September 28, except for Sunday September 22. The temple will be privately rededicated in 1 session by President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on Sunday October 13, and will reopen for ordinance work on Tuesday October 22, 2019.

In the meantime, the open house for the Baton Rouge LA Temple will take place from Saturday October 26-Saturday November 2, with the exception of Sunday October 27. The single-session rededication for this temple will take place on Sunday November 17, with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding thereat.  I'd just like to make a few general comments on this news:

First, this information replaces the estimates I offered earlier this morning. Second, the one-week open house and private rededications in one session may become the new normal for the smaller Hinckley-era temples. Third, it is apparent that, at least for the moment, the First Presidency may call on any of the seven most senior apostles to rededicate temples, while the dedications for new temples could be done by any of the apostles, and particularly those who have personal connections to those temples.

I say that because what I have seen on my end demonstrates that the authority to dedicate or rededicate temples is inherent in the keys of the apostleship, since those ordained as such have the power, under the direction of the Church President, to bind and seal on earth and in heaven. I was also pleasantly surprised by this news, since I thought for sure the next temple event to be announced would be the dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple. I could still see the Church scheduling that soon, and that could still be set to occur in October or November/

What that means for the remainder of the year may be difficult to determine. Clearly any temple groundbreaking could be announced and held for any day of the week except Sunday, and I hope there will be many of those in the second half of this year. But temple dedications or rededications are much harder to pin down in terms of their timing. I would anticipate at least that the dedication for the Arequipa Peru Temple may be announced soon, and it is possible that the dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple and rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple may round out the end of this year.

I do continue to monitor all temple-related developments and will be sure to pass along word of those as I learn of such things. 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.

Further Adjustments Made to Blog Layout and Comment Form

Hello again, everyone! As some of you may have realized, I have continued to perform minor tweaks to the layout of this blog as I feel a need to do to make the look, feel, appearance, and accesibility of all blog elements the best they can be. I appreciate the patience exhibited by all of you as the process of making such adjustments and tweaks is ongoing. In addition to that, I wanted to note some changes made to the comment form.

Bearing in mind the purposes for which this blog has been established, and balancing the needs I see to maintain a good blog where conversations can take on a deeper quality, I have adjusted the wording to the comment form ro now read as follows:

"In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.

"At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.

"I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.

"And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.

"Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters."

I realize that is rather lengthy for a comment form. Any suggestions any of you have that would better capture my intent but be more brief would be particularly welcome and appreciated. In the meantime, it has saddened me to see my requests to those using the "Anonymous" and "Unknown" monikers has been largely ignored by a majority of those who use such identifications.

The point made by one such individual who commented under one of those generic monikers is well-taken: I should not be treating all comments from those generic names as if they were from the same individual. But I also don't know whether or not I am dealing with the same person unless I have some way to tell. So in order to preserve the etiquette which I hope will prevail among those who are regular readers here, for the foreseeable future, I am mandating the use of any name (whether a pseudonym, nickname, or an actual name) for everyone who comments here.

The mark of someone who is good at leading discussions, which is how I see my role as the author of the blog on which you all comment, is that he acknowledges contributions by the name of those making them. And I cannot do that if I don't know with whom I am dealing. So anyone commenting specifically under the "Anonymous" or "Unknown" monikers needs to let me know who they are. If I can get to know you all better in that way, I am more likely on my end to take offered feedback more seriously.

And I'd rather not have to delete any earnest or sincere comments simply because I don't know who might have made them. So it has sadly become necessary for me to make that mandatory. Barring anything unexpected, that will remain the status quo on this blog for the foreseeable future. So I'd encourage us all to help each other, whereby you all can help me keep this blog more in line with the intents and purposes for which I have established and continue to maintain it. My thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation in these matters.

That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreicated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established gudelines. 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.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Three—Remaining Estimates for Known Events

Hello again, everyone! I am back once again with the third and final post in this mini-series on estimates for known temple events in the near future. In this post, the final estimates for events that are anticipated between the beginning of 2022 and the end of 2024 will be shared. Those 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 stablished gudelines. 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.

2022:

Saturday & Sunday April 2 & 3: 192^nd Annual 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.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (177^th operating temple)

Mid-August: Dedication of the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple (178^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 1 & 2: 192^nd 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.

Mid-November: Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (179^th operating temple)

Note: Because this temple is significantly larger than temples which have been built in recent years, delays in that construction process are more likely than not. It is also worth noting that the official number for this temple is almost certain to change as other temples have a groundbreaking and construction and are potentially completed before this one is.

Final note on 2022: Between now and the end of 2022, the face of the Church’s temple construction program will likely look very different. We currently have a Church President who has clearly prioritized bringing the temples to the people, and the fact that he announced 19 new temples within his first year as such verifies that beyond doubt. I also am equally certain he will do all he can to clear the existing backlog of announced temples. With that in mind, there will likely be many more temple events to add to this list in the future. I am committed to bringing updates in that regard to you all as I receive them.

2023:

Saturday & Sunday April 1 & 2: 193^rd Annual 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.

Saturday September 30 & Sunday October 1: 193^rd 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.

Final note on 2023: Any temple events which may occur during 2023 will be determined by whatever temple announcements are made within the next couple of years. I will be sure to add such events as I learn about their likelihood.

2024:

Saturday & Sunday April 6 & 7: 194^th Annual 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.

May or June: Rededication of the Salt Lake Temple

Saturday & Sunday October 5 & 6: 194^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.

Final note: As noted previously, any temple events which may occur during 2024 will be determined by whatever temple announcements are made within the next couple of years. I will be sure to add such events as I learn about their likelihood.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part Two—2020-2021 Estimates

Hello again, everyone! I am back with the second of the 3-part series I am doing in order to share my updated estimates for known temple events in the near future. This post will share the updated estimates for those known or anticipated events in 2020 and 2021, which 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 gudelines. 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.

2020:

Mid-January: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (168^th operating temple)

Note: On May 2, 2019, I received new information which indicated that the completion of this temple could occur in late 2019 or early 2020. I believe the most likely scenario to be that construction will wrap up on this temple and that an open house could take place prior to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, but that a dedication would be deferred until after those holidays have passed.

Mid-to-late February: Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday April 4 & 5: 190^th Annual 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.

Mid-to-late April: Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple

June or early-to-mid August: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 3 & 4: 190^th Semiannual General Conference

Note: Temple announcements are always possible, so it is not hard to believe that a few could be announced during this General Conference.

Mid-September: Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple

Mid-November: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple

Mid-December: Dedication of the Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire Temple (171^st operating temple)

Note: At the groundbreaking for this temple (which occurred on November 8, 2018), Elder Neil L. Andersen, who presided at this event and gave his remarks in French, noted that construction of the temple was anticipated to take around two years. For that reason, I am moving my previous estimate for this temple’s dedication up to this point.

Final note on 2020: Based on what I have heard, 2020 seems as though it will be another big year for temple groundbreakings. I am specifically keeping my eyes open for information on the following temples: Puebla Mexico (in view of a tip from a member of the Church in Mexico, who noted the groundbreaking for that temple is anticipated in early 2020), Nairobi Kenya, Salta and Mendoza Argentina, Managua Nicaragua, Auckland New Zealand, Belem Brazil, Layton Utah, Managua Nicaragua, Yuba City California, Phnom Penh Cambodia, and Bengaluru India Temples.

2021:

Mid-January: Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (172^nd operating temple

Mid-to-late March: Dedication of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (173^rd operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday April 3 & 4: 191^st Annual 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.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174^th operating temple)

Mid-May: Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

June: Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple (175^th operating temple)

Saturday & Sunday October 2 & 3: 191^st 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.

Mid-to-late October: Rededication of the Hong Kong China Temple

Note: This is just a projected estimate, based on what is currently known. As more information is revealed, this estimate could be pushed forward or back as needed.

Mid-November: Dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple (176^th operating temple)

Mid-December: Rededication of the St. George Utah Temple

Note: What I shared above about the probable timing of the rededication for the Hong Kong China Temple also applies here: As more information is made available, and as the renovation process proceeds, I will be sure to make any adjustments to this estimate that might be needed.

Final note on 2021: If, as anticipated, several more temples are announced in 2019 and 2020, and any which have not yet had a groundbreaking have that occur within that same time period, that in turn will multiply the number of known temple events which will likely occur in 2021 and the years beyond. As more is learned about future temple renovations, that will also have an impact on the number of future events.

Updated Estimates for Future Temple Events: Part One—Overview and 2019 Estimates

Hello again, everyone! Based on what I shared in my last post regarding the updated general time-frames, I have updated my more specific estimates for known temple events. This post will share those temple events anticipated to occur during the remainder of this year. Two other posts will then follow to share the changed estimates for 2020 & 2021, and for 2022-2024, of which there are comparatively far less. The estimates for the remainder of this year, along with the relevant notes, 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:

Saturday May 4: Groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples

Note: In mid-January the First Presidency released the artist’s rendering for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple, and announced the groundbreaking for that temple less than a week later. Elder Walter F. Gonzalez, president of the Church's Caribbean Area, will preside at that ceremony. In early-to-mid February, the artist’s renderings for the Yigo Guam and Praia Cabo Verde Temples were also released, with their groundbreakings set to occur on May 4 as well. Elders Yoon Hwan Choi (the president of the Asia North Area) and Paul V. Johnson, (the president of the Europe Area) will preside at the groundbreakings in Yigo and Praia respectively. The time in Guam is ahead of that in Cabo Verde, which is ahead of the time in Puerto Rico, so I am listing them in that order. Since the construction for each of those temples is anticipated to take 2 years, I am estimating that all of them will be dedicated in early-to-mid 2021.

Sunday May 5: Private rededication of the Memphis Tennessee Temple (confirmed)

Note: On January 16, 2019, the First Presidency announced the private rededication of this temple would take place in a single session on this date, and that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland would preside at the rededication. Although it was originally announced that no open house tours would be offered, on February 28, 2019, the First Presidency subsequently announced that a one-week open house would be held for this temple in mid-April.

Saturday May 11: Groundbreaking for the Quito Ecuador Temple (confirmed)

Note: The First Presidency released the artist’s rendering and announced the groundbreaking arrangements for this temple on March 7, 2019. Elder Enrique R. Falabella, president of the South America Northwest Area, will preside at this event. Construction on this temple is anticipated to take between 2-3 years.

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

Note: On April 10, 2019, the Church announced that President Russell M. Nelson and his wife Wendy W. Nelson, accompanied by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan L. Gong, would be doing a ministry tour in the Pacific (which will be the next leg of the prophet’s ongoing Global Ministry Tour). Since that tour includes stops in areas where temples are either operating (Kona Hawaii, Apia Samoa, Sydney Australia, Suva Fiji, Nuku’alofa Tonga, and Papeete Tahiti) or where temples have been announced (Auckland New Zealand), it seems appropriate to include this trip among the list of known temple events, since part of the time will surely be used to scout out temple locations in Auckland New Zealand, Pago Pago American Samoa, and Neiafu Tonga.

Sunday May 19: Private rededication of the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple (confirmed)

Note: On January 16, 2019, the private rededication for the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple was also announced. President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, will preside at the single-session rededication. On February 28, 2019, in conjunction with the aforementioned announcement of the one-week open house for the Memphis Tennessee Temple, an identical arrangement was set (with slightly different timing) for this temple.

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. In an unusual (but not unexpected) move, that dedication has been scheduled to occur two weeks prior to the rededication of the Oakland California Temple. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a dedication has been set to occur prior to a rededication which has previously been announced. Usually, a temple’s rededication has been set to occur prior to a previously-announced temple dedication. President Nelson could personally preside at this dedication, or he could delegate that to either of his counselors or a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. While it used to be customary for only the most senior apostles to preside at a temple dedication or rededication, in April, junior apostle Elder Dale G. Renlund presided at the dedication of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. With that in mind, Elder David A. Bednar (who broke ground for this temple) or Elder Ulisses Soares (our native Brazilian apostle) could preside at this dedication.

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

Note: On March 7, 2019, the groundbreaking for this temple was also announced. Since this temple is also being built within the South America Northwest Area, Elder Falabella will preside over this as well. 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. As noted above, the dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple, announced almost a month later, has been set to occur before this temple’s rededication.

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. Insofar as I am aware, none of the current apostles have a personal connection to Haiti, so any of them could preside.

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.

Mid-to-late October: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (167^th operating temple)

Note: The Arequipa Peru Temple has been ahead of schedule for a while now, and a Church member living in Peru spotted the cornerstone engraving, which reads: “Erected 2019”. With that in mind, I feel reasonably confident that this temple will be dedicated at around this time.

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

Note: New information received on February 22, 2019 indicated that the Frankfurt Germany Temple was anticipated to be dedicated in October. Then, on March 5, 2019, the First Presidency officially announced that this temple would be rededicated on this date. I am anticipating that the First Presidency will ask Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, our native German apostle who is also the third most-senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the sixth most senior apostle overall, to represent them in rededicating this temple, both because it would be personal for him and because he has had experience dedicating other temples during his near-decade of service in the First Presidency.

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.

Early-to-mid November: Private rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple

Note: On May 2, 2019, many of the sources I utilize for temple information noted that this temple’s renovation was only likely to be completed in late 2019. As a consequence, I adjusted my estimate to this point.

Mid-to-late November: Rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple

Note: On May 2, 2019, many of the sources I utilize for temple information noted that this temple’s renovation was only likely to be completed in late 2019. As a consequence, I adjusted my estimate to this point.

December: Rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple

Note: Although information about the progress on this temple’s renovation is scarce, given the need to adjust my estimate for the Durban South Africa Temple, I have moved this temple’s rededication up to this point. If I find out anything that leads me to revise that thinking, I will adjust this estimate again.

Sunday December 29: Salt Lake Temple Renovation Closure (confirmed)

Note: On April 19, 2019, President Nelson announced renovation plans for this temple. Based on those plans, the temple is scheduled to close on this date and is anticipated to be rededicated in 2024. I will be offering my estimate for this temple’s rededication later on in this document.

                                                                                                                                                           

Final note on 2019: Given what I have heard about 2019, it seems more likely than not that several temples will have a groundbreaking at some point during that year. With groundbreakings held so far for the Urdaneta Philippines, Bangkok Thailand, and Pocatello Idaho Temples, groundbreakings have also been confirmed for the Yigo Guam, Praia Cabo Verde, San Juan Puerto Rico, Quito Ecuador, and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temples. I am also anticipating that groundbreakings may be held for the Brasilia Brazil, Richmond Virginia, Saratoga Springs Utah, Greater Manila Philippines, and Harare Zimbabwe Temples, most (if not all) of which could have a groundbreaking this year. But in view of the unexpected announcement of the groundbreakings for 3 of the temples President Nelson announced last year, we could also see other temples have a groundbreaking by that time as well.