Hello again, everyone! I have completed the process of updating my specific estimates for known temple events in the near future, so I wanted to post them here. They follow below. So as to not disturb the flow of that information, I will end here and now as I always do:
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Specific Estimates
for Known Temple Events in the Near Future
2019:
Sunday March
10-Tuesday March 12: Dedication of the Rome Italy Temple (162nd
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: 189th 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 (163rd
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, Praia Cabo Verde, 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. On
February 8, 2019, the artist’s rendering for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple was
released, and its’ groundbreaking was set to occur on May 4 as well. 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, 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 also 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 (165th 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, which each seem to have their renovation processes on track,
could have a rededication within the month following that recess. I am also
anticipating that both rededications will be one-session private ceremonies
presided over by any of the seven most senior apostles (Presidents Nelson,
Oaks, Eyring, Ballard, or Elders Holland, Uchtdorf, or Bednar, all of whom have
had experience in that regard).
Sunday September 1:
Dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple (165th 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 (166th 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: 189th 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-October: Dedication
of the Lisbon Portugal Temple (167th operating temple)
Late October-early
November: 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 Arequipa Peru Temple (168th operating temple)
Note: The Arequipa temple has progressed swiftly. With
that, and the recent shift of the time-frame for this event in mind, I have
little to no doubt that we could see this dedication at this time.
December: Rededication of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple
Note: Though I had
thought this temple would only be rededicated in early 2020, enough updates
have been provided on it recently to leave me confident that this temple will
be able to easily be rededicated before the end of this year, and that is even
more true based on the fact that a new temple president has been called for
this temple. Whether or not the dedication is public or private may remain to
be seen.
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: Dedication
of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple (169th operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday April 4 & 5: 190th Annual General Conference
Note: Barring anything unexpected, I would
anticipate several new temples being announced during this weekend.
Mid-to-late April:
Rededication of the Tokyo Japan Temple
June or
early-to-mid August: Dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple (170th
operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 3 & 4: 190th 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 (171st 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: 191st 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-March:
Dedication of the Yigo Guam Temple (172nd operating temple
Mid-to-late April:
Dedication of the Praia Cabo Verde Temple (173rd operating temple)
Late April-early
May: Dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple (174th operating
temple)
Mid-to-late May: Rededication
of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple
June: Dedication
of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (175th operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 2 & 3: 191st 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: 192nd 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 Pocatello Idaho Temple (176th operating temple)
Saturday &
Sunday October 1 & 2: 192nd 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-November: Dedication
of the Bangkok Thailand Temple (175th 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: 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.
