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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Most Recent and Near Future Apostolic Birthdays

5 apostolic birthdays have come and gone in August, and two more are coming up in September. Our youngest apostle, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, turned 61 on August 6. Elder Neil L. Andersen marked his 65th birthday on August 9. Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Robert D. Hales turned 84 on August 12 and today respectively. President Thomas S. Monson celebrated his 89th birthday three days ago. We have two apostles celebrating birthdays in September a day apart. Elder Quentin L. Cook will turn 76 on September 8. President Russell M. Nelson, the oldest living apostle, will mark his 92nd birthday on September 9.

Thanks for your readership and support. ;

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

U of U Building Named for President Thomas S. Monson/All Church members and properties safe after Italian Earthquake

Two major Church News Items have taken place today. After a horrendous earthquake in Italy, all church members, missionaries, chapels and temples had been reported to be safe. For more details on that, click here.

In the meantime, the Church News and KSL.com have run articles on how a new building has been named for Church President Thomas S. Monson on the U of U campus. It is interesting to note that among the attendees was the entire First Presidency, with President Henry B. Eyring speaking for the Church and for President Monson personally. To read the wonderful details of the ceremony that took place today, click herehere and here.

Thanks for reading this post.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Temple Progress Update

In light of the Sapporo Japan Temple dedication, I thought it would be fitting to post an updated temple progress report. Before doing so, I should like to note that the number of under construction temples changed (in the sense that there was one less of them) but stayed the same (in the sense that there was one I had forgotten to list as being under construction. Progress continues worldwide, and you can count on reading about it here on this blog. Here's the report:

Temple Construction Progress Report (current as of 8/23/16)
Current Temple Status: 151 operating, 15 under construction (4 scheduled for dedication), 11 announced (groundbreaking announcements anticipated soon), 4 undergoing renovation (scheduled for rededication).

Dedication scheduled:
152. Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple: Public open house tours underway through September 9; dedication scheduled on Sunday September 18, 2016.
153. Fort Collins Colorado Temple: Public open house underway through September 10; dedication scheduled on Sunday October 16, 2016.
154. Star Valley Wyoming Temple: Accepting reservations for public open house, which is scheduled to take place between September 23-October 8; dedication scheduled on Sunday October 30, 2016.
155. Hartford Connecticut Temple: Roofing nearing completion; more scaffolding coming down; landscaping continues; president’s residence progressing; dedication scheduled on Sunday November 20, 2016.

Under Construction:
156. Paris France Temple: Exterior cladding of visitor’s center nearing completion; stained glass installation underway; courtyard pavers laid; completion estimated sometime in mid-2017.
157. Meridian Idaho Temple: Angel Moroni placed on July 20, 2016; completion estimated sometime in late 2017.
158. Cedar City Utah Temple: Monument sign installed; completion estimated sometime in late 2017.
159. Tucson Arizona Temple: Scaffolding removed from dome; completion estimated sometime in late 2017.
160. Rome Italy Temple: Interior work underway including some material replacement and rework; completion estimated sometime in the first half of 2018.
161. Concepcion Chile Temple: Exterior walls poured; completion estimated sometime in 2018.
 162. Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple: Foundation poured; waterproofing applied to basement walls; completion estimated sometime between 2018 and 2019.
163. Barranquilla Colombia Temple: Subgrade work underway; completion estimated sometime in 2019.
164.  Fortaleza Brazil Temple: Excavation for foundation underway; completion estimated sometime in 2019.
165. Durban South Africa Temple: Site grading and clearing underway; completion estimated sometime in 2019.
166. Lisbon Portugal Temple: Ground broken on Saturday December 5, 2015; completion estimated sometime in 2019.

Rededication scheduled:
33. Freiberg Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; open house tours underway through August 27; rededication scheduled on Sunday September 4, 2016.
  
Undergoing Renovation:
8. Idaho Falls Idaho Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication estimated sometime the first quarter of 2017.
41. Frankfurt Germany Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication estimated sometime in late 2017.
20. Jordan River Utah Temple: Closed for renovation; rededication estimated sometime in late 2017.

Announced:
167. Arequipa Peru Temple: General contractor selected; construction anticipated to begin sometime in October 2016.
168. Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple: Construction preparation phase; plans approved by local government; announcement of groundbreaking pending and not likely to take place until after the Summer Olympics.
169. Urdaneta Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
170. Winnipeg Manitoba Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
171. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
172. Bangkok Thailand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement.
173. Abidjan Ivory Coast Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
174. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
175. Harare Zimbabwe Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
176. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning phase; awaiting official site announcement.
177. Lima Peru Los Olivos 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 theorder in which their future groundbreakings are announced.
Red text denotes changes from the last posted temple progress update.