The Star Valley Wyoming temple, which was originally expected to be completed early next year, has made rapid progress. It's far enough along that the First Presidency has announced the open house, cultural celebration, and dedication. The public open house will run from Friday September 23-Saturday October 8, though tours will end early on Saturday September 24 in view of the General Women's Meeting that evening. Tours will also not take place on any Sunday or during the October General Conference weekend. The cultural celebration for the temple will take place on the evening of Saturday September 29, with the dedication to take place the next day in three sessions at 9 AM, 12 PM, and 3 PM. The dedication will be broadcast to all stake centers within the temple district and the entire state of Wyoming, with the exception of those stakes in the Fort Collins Colorado Temple District (which, as previously announced, will be dedicated just two weeks prior to the Star Valley dedication. As to the question of who might preside at that dedication, when he announced that temple, President Monson joked that he thought he'd dedicate that one, as there's good fishing up there. Due to his health issues, I would be very much surprised if President Monson could preside at that one. My guess is President Henry B. Eyring will dedicate the temple, especially if President Uchtdorf presides at the Fort Collins Colorado Temple Dedication on October 16. I also believe Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy will be in attendance, at that dedication, because he was the one who broke ground for this temple.
The Hartford Connecticut Temple Open House will take place between Friday September 30 and Saturday October 22, excluding Sundays and General Conference weekend. The cultural celebration will take place on Saturday November 19, and the temple will be dedicated in 3 sessions on Sunday November 20, which will be held at 9 AM, 12 PM, and 3 PM, President Thomas S. Monson was the one who broke ground for this temple, but, again, his health is not good, so, if President Eyring dedicates the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, President Uchtdorf will likely preside at the Hartford Connecticut Temple Dedication.
With these additional announcements, the temple backlog has been reduced substantially. By the time the remaining five temples with a dedication date set are dedicated, it will reduce the under construction backlog to 10, one of which may still have a dedication by the end of the year. 3 more temples may, by that time, have a groundbreaking announced or done, briging the announced temple backlog down to 5. Of those 5, 2 have a site identified, The other three we are waiting on do not yet have a site announced, though that could change any day.
In light of these events, I don't think I would be out of line in saying that I am very certain about the fact that more temples will be announced next weekend. I'm anticipating 3 or more to be so announced. Now, a brief review of the timing involved. By the end of this year, we could have as many as 156 temples by the end of the year. I'm hoping enough progress will be made on temple construction for those anticipated to be dedicated next year that the dedications will be spread out rather than all happening in late 2017, as the LDS Church Temples site predicts. Still, if all of those 4 temples that might be completed in 2017 are completed, that would definitely be keeping with the average of 3 per year. Then there are 5 more slated for completion in 2018. One temple is already slated for completion in 2019, and with one more groundbreaking scheduled and two or three pending, it's not unreasonable to guess that there will be at least 3 dedications in 2019. If we add to that 3 or more announced per year, that would slate others for completion in 2019 and 2020. I still believe the Church may soon set a goal to have 200 temples by the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Church. And, as we can see, that is very much in reach. So exciting!
To help my readers make sense of all that's going on with temples, I include my updated list of upcoming temple-related events, followed by my personal record of temple progress. Please note that on this list, for this time, I have switched the numbering of some temples. I have assigned the Durban South Africa temple (groundbreaking scheduled) and the Rio de Janeiro Brazil and Arequipa Peru temples (which two I have switched on my list based on their reportedly progressing towards having a groundbreaking date announced) earlier numbers than the Fortaleza Brazil temple, which, though it had its groundbreaking in 2011, has not made much progress. I have a feeling that ground will be broken in Durban, Rio de Janeiro, and Arequipa before any further progress is made on the Fortaleza Brazil temple, I have even wondered if the Fortaleza Brazil temple plans will be scrapped or a new site found and groundbreaking scheduled. Time will tell. Anyways, here are the lists. Enjoy, and I will try to write again later today to report on the General Women's Meeting and how my predictions for that panned out.
Temple Construction Progress (current as of 3/25/16)
Current Temple
Status: 150 operating, 15 under construction (5 scheduled for dedication), 8 announced (1 groundbreaking scheduled and 2
groundbreakings anticipated to be announced soon), 4 undergoing renovation (1 scheduled
for rededication).
Dedication scheduled:
151. Sapporo
Japan Temple: Exterior floodlighting operational; work progressing on interior;
scheduled to be dedicated Sunday August
21, 2016.
152. Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Temple: Inscription stones attached; exterior completed; grounds work
underway; scheduled to be dedicated Sunday
September 18, 2016.
153. Fort Collins Colorado Temple:
Lampposts installed on the grounds; interior work underway; scheduled to be
dedicated Sunday October 16, 2016.
154. Star Valley
Wyoming Temple: Art glass installed on steeple; laying shingles on steeple; scheduled
to be dedicated Sunday October 30, 2016.
155. Hartford
Connecticut Temple: Attachment of exterior stone cladding nearing completion; scheduled
to be dedicated Sunday November 20,
2016.
Under Construction:
156. Paris France
Temple: Attachment of exterior stone cladding nearing completion; completion
anticipated sometime between late 2016
and early 2017.
157. Rome Italy
Temple: Spire framework attached to both towers; interior work progressing; completion
anticipated sometime during late 2017.
158. Meridian
Idaho Temple: Installing windows; work progressing on interior; completion
anticipated sometime during late 2017.
159. Cedar City
Utah Temple: Structural framing completed; attachment of exterior panels
underway; completion anticipated sometime during late 2017.
160. Tucson Arizona Temple: Exterior panels being attached; completion
anticipated sometime between late 2017
and early 2018.
161. Concepcion
Chile Temple: Rebar rising for main level shear walls; completion anticipated sometime
during late 2018.
162. Lisbon
Portugal Temple: Ground broken on Saturday December 5, 2015; completion
anticipated sometime during late 2018.
163. Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Ground broken on Friday, February 12,
2016; completion anticipated sometime during late 2018.
164. Barranquilla
Colombia Temple: Ground broken on Saturday February 20, 2016; completion
anticipated sometime between early-and-mid
2019.
168. Fortaleza
Brazil Temple: Full-scale construction pending; completion date TBD (To be determined).
Groundbreaking scheduled:
165. Durban South
Africa Temple: Preparing for groundbreaking ceremony; groundbreaking scheduled
for Saturday April 9, 2016.
Rededication scheduled:
33. Freiberg
Germany Temple: Closed for
renovation; adding extension; steeple covered; scheduled to be
rededicated Sunday September 4, 2016.
Undergoing Renovation:
8. Idaho Falls
Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; interior remodeling underway; rededication
anticipated sometime between late 2016
and early 2017.
41. Frankfurt
Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication anticipated sometime during
mid-2017.
20. Jordan River
Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; construction trailers on site; rededication
anticipated sometime during late 2017.
Announced:
166. Rio de
Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local
government; groundbreaking date anticipated to be announced soon.
167. Arequipa Peru
Temple: Construction preparation phase; temple site rezoned; acquiring building
permits; groundbreaking date anticipated to be announced soon.
169. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Planning and approval
phase; groundbreaking pending.
170. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning phase.
171. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning phase.
172. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and
approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase;
awaiting official site announcement.
Key:
Bolded numbers and
text denote temples whose number already exists (for renovations), or is
certain due to a scheduled dedication, as well as information that is certain,
such as dedication or groundbreaking dates.
Italicized numbers
and text denote temples whose number
may change based on the order in which future dedications and groundbreakings
are scheduled.
Underlined numbers and text denote temples whose
number may change based on the order in which their future groundbreakings are
announced.
Upcoming Temple Events:
1.
Saturday April
9—Durban South Africa Temple Groundbreaking (150 operating, 16 under
construction, 7 announced, 4 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: The question of who will
preside at this groundbreaking has not been addressed. It could be any member
of the First Presidency (with the most likely candidate being President Dieter
F. Uchtdorf, who hasn’t presided at a temple-related event yet this year) or
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (with the most likely candidates being either
Elder David A. Bednar or Neil L. Andersen, who seem to have some role in
overseeing the progress of the Church in Africa), a member of the Presidency of
the Seventy or one of the General Authority Seventies, with the most likely
candidates being one of the members of the Africa Southeast Area Presidency: either
Elder Carl B. Cook, Elder Stanley G. Ellis, or Elder Kevin S. Hamilton.
2.
Sunday August
21—Sapporo Japan Temple Dedication (151 operating, 15 under construction, 7
announced, 4 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: If President Uchtdorf
presides at the previous dedication, President Eyring will likely preside at
this dedication. It would also not surprise me if Elder Gary E. Stevenson of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles accompanied whoever is presiding, since he as
a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy was serving as president of the
Asia North Area, presided at the groundbreaking.
3.
Sunday September
4—Freiberg Germany Temple Rededication (151 operating, 15 under construction, 7
announced, 3 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: Since President Uchtdorf
is a native German, and since President Eyring may preside at the previous
dedication, it would make sense if he (President Uchtdorf) presides at this
rededication.
4.
Sunday September
18—Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple Dedication (152 operating, 14 under
construction, 7 announced, 3 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: If President Uchtdorf
presides at the previous rededication, and since President Eyring was the one
who broke ground for this temple, it would make sense if he (President Eyring)
presides at this dedication.
5.
Sunday October 16—Fort
Collins Colorado Temple Dedication (153 operating, 13 under construction, 7
announced, 3 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: If President Eyring
presides at the previous dedication, it would make sense if President Uchtdorf
is asked to preside at this dedication. It is also not unreasonable to believe
that Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will accompany
whoever the presiding authority is, as Elder Rasband originally presided over
the groundbreaking for this temple.
6.
Sunday October 30—Star
Valley Wyoming Temple Dedication (154 operating, 12 under construction, 7
announced, 3 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: If President Uchtdorf presides
at the previous dedication, it would make sense if President Eyring is asked to
preside at this dedication. It would also not surprise me if Elder Craig C.
Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy was one of the participants in the
dedication. When this temple was originally announced, President Monson joked
that he thought he’d dedicate that one because there’s good fishing up there,
but as he hasn’t presided over a temple dedication in two years and as he may
not be in the best of health, it is more likely that President Eyring will
preside.
7.
Sunday November 20—Hartford
Connecticut Temple Dedication (155 operating, 11 under construction, 7
announced, 3 undergoing renovation)
NOTE: If President Eyring
presides at the previous temple dedication, the odds are very good that
President Uchtdorf will preside at this temple dedication. President Monson was
the one who presided at the groundbreaking, but as he is reportedly not in very
good health, President Uchtdorf is more than likely the one who will be asked
to preside.