1600th Blog Post: BREAKING TEMPLE UPDATE: Groundbreaking for Praia Cape Verde Temple Anticipated in 2019

Hello again, everyone! I am here with my 1600th blog post written to cover a breaking temple update. I call it an update rather than breaking news because as of yet, it is still subject to official confirmation by the First Presidency. As most who read this blog regularly will recall, so far, the Church has scheduled two temples announced last October by President Nelson for a groundbreaking later this year. New information received today seems to indicate that the groundbreaking for the Praia Cape Verde Temple may be held later this year.

That information is confirmed through consulting the construction status page on the Church of Jesus Christ Temples site. A word by way of a cautionary disclaimer seems appropriate: Until an official announcement is made on this matter by the First Presidency, the groundbreaking for Praia is merely anticipated to be held in 2019, which is not definitive at this point. But in light of the fact that that page of the aforementioned site correctly projected the timing (which was later confirmed) for the groundbreaking of both the San Juan Puerto Rico and Yigo Guam temples, I think official confirmation will likely come about this development within the next two weeks, but possibly less, if all goes well.

This development also serves to illustrate and further support my previously-offered opinion that many of the temples President Nelson announced last year (particularly in October) are going to be on the smaller side of the scale of temple sizes. And if that proves to be the case, then several more of those 12 locations may also have a groundbreaking announced.

I should also note that new information received over the last couple of weeks seems to point to the idea that other temples which were in the queue President Nelson inherited from President Monson may also have a groundbreaking scheduled in the near future. To illustrate what has changed, I will provide again the completely reworked sections of my report for temples that have a groundbreaking anticipated, and announced temples for which more information is needed before they are relocated to that first section. That newly-revised data will be presented in that order.

Preliminary note on groundbreaking anticipated section: During the weekend of February 1-4, with all temples previously listed in the section below having had a groundbreaking officially confirmed, I moved other temples into this category, based on what I know about the imminent likelihood of the timing for their groundbreaking. Most of that knowledge comes from sources I have available for temple information, or from members living in or near the cities of these temples who have knowledge of their status.

Groundbreaking anticipated:

177. Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking anticipated in mid-2019

178. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase; awaiting official site confirmation and release of artist’s rendering; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

179. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

180. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Existing institute building and meetinghouse closed on January 27, 2019 in preparation for demolition; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

181. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019.

182. 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.

183. Brasilia Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; property fence installed around temple site; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

Note on announced temples: During the weekend of February 1-4, 2019, I again reevaluated the information I had available, and made further adjustments to this section following the completion of the revision process for the “Groundbreaking anticipated” section. The following estimates represent my best efforts to predict the timing for the future groundbreaking of each of these temples based on what I currently know about them.

Announced Temples (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):

184. Greater Manila Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official name announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

185. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

186. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

187. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

188. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

189. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

190. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

191. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

192. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

193. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.      

194. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

195. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.

196. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.

197. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.

198. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.

199. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2021.

200. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2021.

201. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2021.

It appears that there will likely be a need to again completely redo, revisit, and revise the estimates offered above in both sections as more becomes known. It is wonderful to see how quickly things can change for the temple construction progress of the Church. The data I have at this time indicates that, in addition to the two temple groundbreakings held last month, and also the three for which groundbreakings are anticipated by the end of the first week in May, there are at least 7 others for which I anticipate more information will be provided in the near future, and 2 or 3 more that may also have a groundbreaking occur this year.

I will continue to keep my eyes open for more information in this regard, and will do my level best to pass word of those developments along to you all as I become aware of it. 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.

Yet Another Revision to My List of Announced Temples

Hello again, everyone! After I published the last couple of posts on this blog earlier tonight, something wasn't sitting right with me in terms of the order in which I had placed the announced temples of the Church on my personal list. Therefore, after reevaluating the entire situation of each temple, and especially as a result of further consideration, research, and analysis on my part, I completely redid that section of my report.

Perhaps the biggest change was reunifying the two previously-separated sections for announced temples, and consolidating them back into one section. I also considered the strength of the Church in each location, whether there was any known political or religious turmoil that might delay a future groundbreaking, whether or not there had been public confirmation of the site locations, and anything else which came to mind that would help me reorganize the order in which they are listed.

Coming in at a close second was the fact I took into consideration, to the effect that, we have recently seen President Nelson's administration working on the current backlog from both ends. 2 of the 19 temples announced last year have already had an artist's rendering released and a groundbreaking scheduled. If I am correct about this, then the next 2 years and beyond will be busy ones in terms of an influx for new temples having a groundbreaking and beginning construction.

According to those latest changes, I am estimating that the last of the current group (the temple for the major city yet-to-be determined in Russia) may have its' groundbreaking in early 2021. The others will likely have a groundbreaking within the 2 years between now and then. And if that is correct, then not only will the queue be rapidly cleared out within that time, but there will also be more room for other temples to be announced during General Conference within that same period of time.

And in that regard, I feel a need to reiterate some things I have previously said: President Nelson inherited a backlog of 12 announced temples which had not gone on to have a groundbreaking prior to the time when his prophetic administration began. Having announced 19 other temples last year, that brought the total number of announced temples to 32, and only 1 of those wound up having a groundbreaking last year.

This year, 2 groundbreakings have already taken place, and we have already seen 3 others scheduled to occur between now and mid-May. Additionally, there are at least 10 others for which a groundbreaking might also be set before the end of this year. If all of those were to occur, that would leave the remaining queue at somewhere around 15, which is just slightly over the amount of temples President Nelson inherited. As already noted, there is an equally likely chance that more groundbreakings could happen this year than I think might be possible as there is that several additional new temples will be announced during both the April and October General Conferences this year.

One thing is certain: The face of the Church's temple construction program is changing, and it will surely be interesting to see how that process evolves and proceeds in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. That said, the list of massive updates to that section of my temple construction progress reports follows below. So as not to disturb its' flow, 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.

Announced Temples (for which sufficient information has me confident enough to venture a general groundbreaking estimate):

177. Saratoga Springs Utah Temple: Government approval phase; awaiting official site confirmation and release of artist’s rendering; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

178. Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple: Existing institute building and meetinghouse closed on January 27, 2019 in preparation for demolition; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2019.

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

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

181. Nairobi Kenya Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; media event held June 14, 2017; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

182. Auckland New Zealand Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2019.

183. 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.

184. Puebla Mexico Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019.

185. Layton Utah Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

186. Richmond Virginia Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2019-early 2020.

187. Salvador Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

188. Salta Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in early 2020.

189. Mendoza Argentina Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

190. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

191. Yuba City, California Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early-to-mid 2020.

192. Lagos Nigeria Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.     

193. Davao Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

194. Managua Nicaragua Temple: Announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

195. Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-2020.

196. Bengaluru India Temple: Planning and approval phase; announced April 1, 2018; awaiting official site announcement; President Nelson toured potential locations on April 19, 2018; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

197. Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in mid-to-late 2020.

198. Praia Cape Verde Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.

199. Belem Brazil Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020.

200. Quito Ecuador Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in late 2020-early 2021.

201. Russia Temple: Planning and approval phase; awaiting official city and site announcement; groundbreaking could occur in early 2021.

Updated Specific Estimates for Known Temple Events in the Near Future

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to provide you all with an updated copy of more specific estimates I am venturing for known temple events in the near future. Although some may see my doing so as speculative, the process of compiling that information has involved extensive research which has verified enough information to venture these probable time-frames.

That noted, I am as equally ecstatic when the Lord proves my thinking and offered estimates were more than a little off as I am when the general time-frames I offer for such events prove to be close to the actual mark. Given the unexpected nature of some temple developments we have seen recently, future revisions of this list will need to be done as more is known. And I am happy to take care of those as that becomes necessary.

Those updates follow below. So as to not disturb the flow of this 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.

Specific Estimates for Known Temple Events in the Near Future

2019:

Sunday March 10-Tuesday March 12: Dedication of the Rome Italy Temple (162^nd operating temple; confirmed)

Note: The First Presidency announced the amended dedication dates for this temple on November 8, 2018. Given that this dedication will now be held over three days rather than the previously-announced 8-day period, there may be only 2-3 of our 15 apostles participating in this event. That said, it would not surprise me in any way if this dedication was either the start or conclusion of another leg of President Nelson’s ongoing Global Ministry Tour.

Saturday March 16: Groundbreaking for the Pocatello Idaho Temple (confirmed)

Note: On February 1, 2019, the First Presidency announced the groundbreaking information for this temple. Given that it will be similar in size to The Gila Valley Arizona temple, I am venturing a general completion estimate of mid-to-late 2022. As more is known about that process, I will make any necessary alterations to that estimate as they are needed.

Saturday & Sunday April 6 & 7: 189^th General Conference

Note: Because 19 temples were announced in 2018 (which may have been President Nelson’s way of starting slowly), and because one of his major focuses during his first year as Church President has been highlighting the importance of temples, I’m sure we will see several new temples announced during this General Conference.

Sunday April 14: Dedication of the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple (163^rd operating temple; confirmed)

Note: In view of the facts that the dedication of this temple will occur after the April General Conference, and that following the April 2018 General Conference, President Nelson began his Global Ministry Tour, I could see President Nelson doing another leg of his tour in conjunction with this temple’s dedication, whether that tour starts or ends with this dedication, or whether this dedication is held sometime in the mid-point of that tour.

Saturday May 4: Groundbreakings for the Yigo Guam and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples

Note: On January 12, 2019, the First Presidency released the artist’s rendering for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple. Five days later (on January 17), the groundbreaking for this temple was announced to occur on this day in May. Elder Walter F. Gonzalez, president of the Church’s Caribbean Area, will preside at that ceremony. Then on February 1, 2019, the First Presidency released the artist’s rendering for the Yigo Guam Temple and announced that its’ groundbreaking ceremony would also occur on May 4. The time in Guam is ahead of that in Puerto Rico, so I am listing them in that order.

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, that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland would preside at the rededication, and that no open house or youth devotional would be held prior to this event.

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 announced. President Henry B. Eyring will preside at the single-session rededication, which will not be preceded by an open house or youth devotional.

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

Note: On January 10, 2018, 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. As noted on other temples, President Nelson could preside at this event himself, or he could delegate one of his counselors or a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to do so.

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 between 2-4 years.

August: Private rededications for the Raleigh North Carolina and Baton Rouge Louisiana Temples

Note: Given the unexpected announcement of the private rededications for the Memphis Tennessee and Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temples (and the fact that both will be operating again before the General Authorities take their annual July recess), it is not hard to believe that both of these temples, for which their renovation processes seem to be on track, could have a rededication within the month following that recess.

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. Then, on January 18, 2019, the dedication was pushed back to this date in view of all that still needed to be done on the construction process.

Mid-to-late September: Dedication of the Durban South Africa Temple (166^th operating temple)

Note: If the construction of the Durban South Africa Temple continues on schedule, then it is not hard to believe that a dedication for it could occur before General Conference. In fact, if the construction process continues uninterrupted, then this temple’s dedication could occur sooner than suggested here.

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

Note: Depending on what is done by this time to clear the existing backlog of announced temples, it seems more likely than not that several new temples will be announced during this weekend.

Mid-to-late October: Rededication of the Frankfurt Germany Temple

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.

Mid-November: Dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (167^th operating temple)

December: Dedication of the Arequipa Peru Temple (168^th operating temple)

Note: The Arequipa temple has progressed swiftly. Given the earlier timing that has been announced or is anticipated for the private rededications of Hinckley-era temples this year, that fact, combined with the fact that construction may be ahead of schedule, has me confident enough to conjecture that this temple could likely be dedicated during the last month of this year. But I could also see the Church waiting to dedicate this temple until after Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020.

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. As noted above, the groundbreakings have been confirmed for the Pocatello Idaho, Yigo Guam, and San Juan Puerto Rico Temples. I am also anticipating that a groundbreaking for the Saratoga Springs Utah, Lima Peru Los Olivos, and Brasilia Brazil Temples will be held in mid-2019. Additionally, based on what I know at the present time, I am keeping my eyes open for information on the Nairobi Kenya, Harare Zimbabwe, and Greater Manila Philippines Temples, most (if not all) of which could have a groundbreaking by the end of 2019. But given the fact that we unexpectedly saw a groundbreaking set for the San Juan and Yigo Temples, then that opens the prospect that perhaps other temples announced by President Nelson in 2018 could also have a groundbreaking if their smaller sizes can expedite the approval process.

2020:

Mid-February: Rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple

Saturday & Sunday April 4 & 5: 190^th Annual General Conference

Note: Barring anything unexpected, I would anticipate several new temples being announced during this weekend.

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

Mid-to-late May: 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-October: Rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple

Mid-November: Dedication of the Abidjan Ivory Coast 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.

Mid-December: Rededication of the Washington DC Temple

Final note on 2020: Some of the announced temples that will have a groundbreaking between now and the end of 2019 could potentially be dedicated during this year. And several other announced temples (I currently have 7 on my radar) could have a groundbreaking during 2020 as well.

2021:

Saturday & Sunday April 3 & 4: 191^st Annual General Conference

Note: Depending on what happens between now (early December 2018) and the dates for this General Conference, I could easily see several new temples announced.

Mid-to-late April: Dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (172^nd operating temple)

Early-to-mid June: Rededication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple

Early-to-mid August: Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (173^rd operating temple)

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

Saturday & Sunday October 2 & 3: 191^st Semiannual General Conference

Note: I am hoping that by the time this particular General Conference weekend rolls around, the temple construction program of the Church will have progressed to the point where some temples will continue to be announced every six months.

Mid-November: 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-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.

2022:

Saturday & Sunday April 2 & 3: 192^nd Annual General Conference

Note: Since the face of the Church’s temple construction program will likely look entirely different by this time, I would anticipate the announcement of several new temples.

Mid-August: Dedication of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (175^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.

Saturday & Sunday October 1 & 2: 192^nd Semiannual General Conference

Note:  As noted above (for the 2022 April General Conference), by this time, it is more likely than not that the face of the Church’s temple construction program will be looking entirely different. With that in mind, it seems more likely than not that other temples could be announced during this General Conference.

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

Final note: As noted a few different times here, within the 3.9 years or so 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.