POTENTIAL BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Could Several Temple Groundbreakings Occur Privately?

Hello again, everyone! Although we are still waiting on official announcements for quite a few temples, an article from a newspaper that has no ties to the Church has used the now-discouraged terminology of "Mormon" in the article title before sharing the correct name of the Church in the article. The article, published in September, related to the site location, rendering, and name being released for Oregon's newest temple, features the following intriguing sentence: "A private groundbreaking ceremony will be announced at a later time, according to communicatiodn director and temple media liaison Jeff Robinson." (bold text highlighted by me to undercore a point).

We have seen the Church being able to broadcast temple groundbreakings on the same day or within a week after a temple groundbreaking takes place. That has allowed a limited number of invited guests to attend each of the 11 groundbreakings held this year while allowing others to view the ceremonies after the fact. Each of those 11 groundbreakings were announced in advance for specific dates as well. And for each of those 11, coverage was made available a few hours after those events took place.

But temple groundbreakings, even with limited invitied guests, can be informally attended by those nearest to the temple who know when those groundbreakings take place. And given the fact that some parts of the US and elsewhere in the world are struggling with COVID-19 to a much higher degree than those in the "Mormon corridor", it did occur to me to wonder, as I've often mused in the past, whether it would be possible for the Church to hold private temple groundbreakings without an advanced announcement that would be followed by an official Church acknowledgement that it has taken place.

Given the fact that there will be 6 weeks between the October 30 groundbreaking for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple and the December 11 groundbreaking for the Bacolod Philippines Temple, I'd be very shocked if no other temples had a groundbreaking in the 5 Saturdays between the two dates. Maybe I'm mistaken in all of this, and the Church might just opt to hold off on any other US temple groundbreakings until next year, but I'm hard-pressed to believe that.

For my part, I will be diligent in checking for any such acknowledgements, and I will be sure to provide anything that is reported in that respect here. Just wanted to mention the possibility, given the wording of the article. In the meantime, that does it for now. 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. 

BREAKING NEWS: Church Announces 2022 Schedule for Churchwide Events

Hello again, everyone! As reported by the Church News, the schedule for Churdwide events in 2022 has been officially confirmed. On Sunday January 9, the Church will host 6 devotionals for young adults. which will replace the customary Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults. A worldwide event of some kind will be held for youth at 4:00 PM MST on January 29. At 10:00 AM MST on February 19, the Church will hold a Friend-to-Friend event for Primary children. 

From March 3-5, RootsTech will hold its' 2022 Family History Conference, which likely means the Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction will occur on the first night (a Thursday). The April 2022 General Conference will occur on Saturday and Sunday April 2 and 3 in 5 general sessions. On April 15 and 16, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square will provide music for the Easter weekend. A worldwide devotional for young adults follows on May 15.

On June 8, the Church will host a Youth Music Festival at 6:00 PM MDT. On Sunday June 25, the Church will host a worldwide devotional focused on sharing the gospel. On July 16, another Friend-to-Friend broadcast will be held for Primary-aged children (which I believe marks the first time that the Church has held more than one Friend-to-Friend event per year).  At some point in mid-to-late July (on or around the 24th), the Tabernacle Choir will have its' annual Pioneer Day Concert.

On August 21, the Church will host the first-of-its'-kind worldwide event for parents, which will be followed on September 11 by a worldwide devotional for young adults. wThe October 2022 General Conference will take place on Saturday and Sunday October 1 and 2, followed by a third and final Friend-to-Friend event on November 4. Closing out the year will be the Sunday December 4 First Presidency's Christmas Devotional  and (I assuime) the Tabernacle Choir's 2022 Christmas Concert.

It's also worth a reminder that I've put together a 2022 schedule of various temple and apostolic milestones I anticipate highlighting here for the next calendar year. There will be a lot to look forward to, even without knowing what major announcements will be made next year, and I look forward to covering all of that as it is reported.

In the meantime, that does it for now. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Church Announces Latest Temple Reopenings

Hello again, everyone! With only one exception in recent weeks, Tuesday has been the designated day on which the Church has announced the latest temple reopening updates. Those releases have been shared in the Newsroom and through updates in the Church News (including the weekly status tracker). Barring anything unexpected (such as a major temple announcement unrelated to temple reopenings, or another week wherein the Church holds steady and does not announce any updates), the latest such information will be released in the next hour or so from the publication of this post.

This post will be updated with an analysis of that announcement if and when it comes. Note: The following few paragraphs between here and the closing text for the post were added once the Church's official announcement on temple reopenings was made. The Church reported this mornining that the Buenoos Aires Argentina Temple is transitiooning to phase 2 after the recent pause in its' reopening. 

Additionally, the Church noted this morning that, in view of its' dedication on Sunday, the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple will open in phase 3 as early as November 12. With the dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple set to occur on Sunday November 7, that temple will open in phase 3 as soon as November 16. And the Mesa Arizona Temple, which will be rededicated on Sunday December 12, will begin operating in phase 3 as early as December 21. Right now, the Saints in the Mesa Arizona Temple district have been able to reserve phase 3 appointments at the closest temples to Mesa which are also in phase 3.

Once all temples for which a phase 3 opening has been announced have officially transitioned to that phase, 92.3% of all temples (157 of the 170 total) will be in phsse 3. Additionally, when other temples transition to phase 2-B (which has previously been noted will occur ASAP), the total number of temples allowing proxy work by appointment will rise to 161 of the 170, or 94.2% of all temples.

The Church News also reiterated that the Medford Oregon Temple, originally projected to move into phase 3 at some point in August, remains in phase 2--B for the time being, and that no revised date has been set for that transition. 6 of the Church's temples remain in phases 1 or 2, while no phase designation has been given for the temples in Hong Kong China and Tokyo Japan both of which are currently closed for renovation.

As a result of the latest adjustments, next Tuesday (November 9), the reopening of temples will stand as follows: 9 temples are closed for major renovations (all but 2 of which have been granted pahse 3 designations); 2 temples remain "paused" in their reopenings (both of which had reached phase 3 prior to their pauses); 2 other temples are in phase 1; with 4 each in phases 2 and 2-B; and the remaining 147 operating in phase 3.

I have noted this in the past, but feel a need to reiterate it again: I am grateful for the carefully-planned cautiously-coordinated reopening of temples around the world, and for the revelatory process that drives those announcements every week. Although no temples anywhere have reached phase 4 (a return to full normal operations), it is wonderful the Church has been prudent and wise in the announcements of changes each week.

As always, I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates, and remain committed to bringing you all word of those updates as I become aware thereof. This Saturday (November 6), Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf will be celebrating his 81st birthday, with Elder Dale G. Renlund observing his 69th birthday exactly one week later. I will be presetting my next apstolic data update to publish here on Sunday November 14 (which will mark the final such update for this year).

I also continue to be hopeful that opening arrangements might soon be announced for the Yigo Guam and Quito Ecuador Temples, with reopening arrangements for the Tokyo Japan and Hamilton New Zealand Temples announced soon as well. And I continue to hope that the announcements of multiple temple groundbreakings will be made within the next couple of week for most (if not all) of the remaining temples that will have a groundbreaking this year, though there is also the prospect that the Church could report a groundbreaking has already occurred for some temples. So stay tuned for more on all of these developments as i find out about them and pass them along.

In the meantime, that does it for now. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: First Temple Dedication in Over a Year Includes Slight Change to Dedicatory Procedures

Hello again, everyone! This morning, the latest edition of "In Case You Missed It" was published by the Church News. 5 of the top 9 developments reported were about the ministry of the apostles. The last of those 5 updates detailed the real reason (rather than the previously-conjectured one) that the Church held the temple dedication youth devotional one week ago today.

The Church had previously announced that the temple dedication would occur in four general sessions held today at 8:00 and 10:00 AM and at 12:00 and 2:00 PM, with the option to hold a fifth at 4:00 PM if that is needed.

As we also know, under normal arrangements, the Church would include the sealing of the cornerstone as part of the first dedicatory session. But with the dedicatory sessions for the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple being held within two-hour intervals today, in order to allow more speakers to offer remarks during the first dedicatory session, Elder Gong officiated at the cornerstone ceremony yesterday evening.

So, while COVID-19 may impact the timing of temple dedications, particularly having a youth devotional the week before the dedication will allow the cornerstone ceremony to occur the day before the dedication, and the Church could allow one or two additional dedicatory sessions to encourage smaller groups in attendance at each session.

I am grateful to have learned about these updates and to pass them along to you all here. I'm hopeful we could see temple reopenings announced for the Tokyo Japan and Hamilton New Zealand Temples soon, in addition to opening arrangements soon for the Yigo Guam and Quito Ecuador Temples, and that between now and the only currently-scheduled groundbreaking (in mid-December for the Bacolod Philippines) there could be at least a few other groundbreakings held, whether or not they are announced in advance.

In the meantime, that does it for now. 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.

BREAKING TEMPLE NEWS: Quetzeltenango Guatemala Temple Transitions to Phase 3; Nearly 93% of All Temples Now Offering Proxy Ordinances

 Hello again, everyone! This morning, the Church News has reported that the Quetzeltenango Guatemala Temple is the latest to transition to phase 3, offering all living and proxy ordinances in priority order, with appropriate protocols and procedures in place to keep all Church members safe. With this latest development, the Church has almost 93% of its' 168 temples open in phase 3. 

With this weekend marking the dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, and next weekend marking the dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple, the Church will then have 170 operating temples by mid-November, 158 of which will be open in phase 3, as a result of which the percentage of temples open in phase 3 by mid-November will then remain steady at 93%.

The Church also noted that the Medford Oregon Temple, which had been projected to move into phase 3 in August of this year, has not yet moved into that phase, but will do so at a later time when COVID-19 conditiions allow that to occur. Aside from these updates, there have not been any other changes reported. so the latest data, which is also featured in the temple reopening status tracker and in the Church's official Newsroom release, now shows the status of temple reopenings as follows: 

9 remain closed for major renovations,, all but 2 of which (Hong Kong China and Tokyo Japan) have been granted phase 3 designation, which allows the members residing in those other 6 temple districts to schedule living and proxy ordinances at the temples cloesest to them that are also in phase 3); 3 remain paused in their reopenings (with 2 that were in phase 3 and 1 that was in phase 2 at the time their pauses went into effect); just 2 remain in phase 1; 3 in phase 2; 4 in phase 2-B; and the remaining 147 in phase 3.

I continue to find it very humbling to witness the inspired and careful way the Brethren have directed the weekly efforts to reopen temples around the world. Modern technology has allowed the apostles to more frequently check in with the area presidencies for the areas in which they each have oversight, and since those conversations are able to carry on weekly, no matter where any of them are geographically, the Church has been very smart in evaluating and assessing things and responding accordingly.

I also keep going back to what President Nelson described as he came to the painful decision that all temples should be closed for the time being. He noted that he agonized over what he would say to them and that he was "going to see them soon"(which to me does not sound like he's talking about when his ministry as prophet ends and he is called home to help direct the work from the other side of the veil). I can understand his feelings on some level: it's a huge, unprecedented thing for the Church to have closed all temples worldwide for a significant duration of time. 

At the same time, unprecedented times (during a global pandemic of a highly-transmissible disease) call for unprecedented measures, and I for one do not find it accidental in any respect that the Church is dealing with the effects of a global pandemic at a time when the prophet representing the Lord to the Church is a former medical physician and surgeon. I think on that level, President Nelson's fellow prophets would be very understanding of what had to be done. I also think that their biggest question for him would be: "Did you do what the Lord instructed you to do on the matter?" And when he answered in the affirmative, that would be the only thing they'd be concerned about.

It's something I've thought about a lot and wanted to put into words now. It's natural that unprecedented times requiring unprecedented measures would cause worry for the Lord's prophet, but my personal opinion is that he didn't need to worry on that count. As I've previously mentioned, two weeks ago today, no temple reopening updates were provided. With such updates provided anew the last couple of weeks, I think that most weeks will see updates on that going forward, especially as COVID-19 becomes less of an issue worldwide, but that there could be a few weeks where no updates are announced as things hold steady.

It's also worth noting that  I anticipate that the Church could potentially begin to transition temples to phase 4 either just prior to Christmas 2021 and New Years' Day 2022 or as 2022 progresses. I will be sure to monitor all of that and bring you word of those developments as I become aware thereof. I'd be remiss if I also didn't note that it seems more likely than not that opening arrangements for the Yigo Guam and Quito Ecuador temples could be coming down the pike within the next week or two, as could the reopening arrangements for the Tokyo Japan and Hamilton New Zealand Temples.

Right now, the Church only has 2 temples currently scheduled for a groundbreaking: Pago Pago American Samoa (on Saturday October 30), and Bacolod Philippines (on Saturday December 11). Right now, no other temple groundbreakings have been scheduled. I have been hoping that for some temples, it might be psosible to hold a private groundbreaking for the temple before publicly releasing the video and photographs verifying that those groundbreakings took place on those dates.

Either way, I am anticipating that a maximum of 9 temples within the United States will have groundbreakings occur soon (whether or not they are announced in advance), along with a maximum of 8 other temples outside the United States. And if at least 10 of those 17 are able to have a groundbreaking by the end of this year, temple groundbreakings in 2021 will exceed the 21 that occurred last year.

I will monitor all of those updates and will do my best to bring you word of any developments as I become aware thereof.In the meantime, that does it for now. 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.