Hello again, everyone! I am posting again this evening to note a status update on the Concepcion Chile Temple. While the process of adding stone cladding to the temple's exterior continues, focus has shifted to installing lamp posts and planting trees on the temple grounds. As I have noted recently, the completion estimate for this temple recently shifted from late 2018 (which had meant that completion was anticipated during the fourth quarter of this year, or between the beginning of October and the end of December) to the latter half of this year (which means the range of that time-frame has been expanded to between the beginning of July and the end of December). That said, it seems most likely that this temple could have its dedication in either August or September.
Additionally, we know that the renovation of the Frankfurt Germany Temple is anticipated in late 2018, and that could occur after the October General Conference. We also know Barranquilla Colombia Temple will be dedicated prior to the end of the year, and that seems most likely to happen in mid-November, though if progress on it or other temples is halted sufficiently, that would push that back into either the last month of this year or even into the early months of 2019.
Speaking of the last month of this year, I am hopeful we could see the dedication of the Rome Italy Temple during that time. But there is an equally likely possibility that that temple could have its construction completed before the end of this year and that its dedication would be held officially in the early part of next year. Looking ahead to next year, we also see the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple completion anticipated in the early part of next year, with that of the Durban South Africa and Port-au-Prince Haiti anticipated likely within the first six months of 2019.
The first half of next year will also involve the rededications of the Memphis Tennessee, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, and Asuncion Paraguay Temples. Then in the middle of next year (likely between June & September), the dedication of the Lisbon Portugal Temple and the rededication for the Raleigh North Carolina Temple is anticipated. The final four months of next year is anticipated to include the rededication of the Baton Rouge Louisiana and Oakland California Temples, and the dedication of the new temples in Fortaleza Brazil and, barring anything unexpected, the one in Arequipa Peru to round out the year.
Then, looking ahead to 2020, we have the Rio de Janeiro Brazil and Winnipeg Manitoba Temples that will be dedicated and the planned rededications of the Tokyo Japan, Mesa Arizona, and Washington DC Temples. It goes without saying that any temples that will have a groundbreaking during the next two years will likely also have their dedications in 2020, 2021, or 2022, and I am hopeful that many of the currently announced temples fall into that category.
That does it for this temple update. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for hte privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless each one of you in everything you do.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Progress Noted on the Concepcion Chile Temple/Musings Regarding Completion Time-frame for Temples
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Monday, January 8, 2018
Some Observations About Recent Times When Two (or more) New Apostles Were Appointed
Hello again, everyone! I have not had much to blog about today, but I am posting now with some observations about times when two or more new apostles were appointed, and how that changed the way General Conference looked.
As many of you may recall, the Church noted prior to the October 2015 General Conference that there had not been three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1906. So let's start there. The appointment of three new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles became necessary in April 1906 due to the resignation of John W. Taylor (son of 3rd Church President John Taylor) and Matthias F. Cowley (from whose family line Matthew Cowley would later be called as an apostle as well) in late October 1905.
Their resignation came in protest of the Church (then led by Joseph F. Smith) reemphasizing the importance of the manifesto, originally issued by Wilford Woodruff, although a second manifesto to validate and clarify the intent behind the first was issued under President Smith. So that left two vacancies in the Quorum. The following February, another member of the Quorum Marriner W. Merrill, passed away. Since the other two vacancies had not yet been filled, that left the Quorum with 9 members, which resulted in the April appointment of George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay.
The next time two apostles were ordained on the same day was when the 1943 deaths of Sylvester Q. Cannon and Rudger Clawson left two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. As some of you may know, Spencer W. Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson, who would both serve as Presidents of the Church, were appointed to fill those vacancies during the October Conference of that year.
Then, in January 1983, the death of Mark E. Petersen left a vacancy in the Quorum that was not filled for over a year, by which time fellow apostle LeGrand Richards had also passed away (with the deaths of the two, oddly enough, coming exactly a year apart, as both occurred on January 11).
To fill those vacancies, the Church in April 1984 sustained Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks, although the latter was not able to be formally ordained and assume his new role until more than a month later. For that reason, while then-Elder Nelson gave his response to the call in the conference in which the two were sustained, Elder Oaks would have to wait until the following October to do so.
The Church did not see more than one vacancy in the apostleship again until Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight passed away 10 days apart in July 2004 (with the passing of the former on July 21 coinciding with his 23rd anniversary as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. and the latter passing away on July 31).
As we all remember, Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar were called to fill the resulting vacancies. Another 11 years would pass before the next time when more than one apostle was called at the same time.
By that time (in 2015), we had seen the deaths of Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott (on May 30 and September 22 respectively), and also the death of Quorum President Boyd K. Packer (on July 3). So the Church called 3 apostles at the same time for the first time since 1906, and those 3, as we know, were Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund.
For both the October 2004 & 2015 General Conferences, the Church did things a little differently in General Conference. Typically, as I have previously noted, we see 2 apostles each speak in the Saturday & Sunday Morning Sessions, 4 during Saturday Afternoon, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the final 3 during the Sunday Afternoon Session.
But for the two conferences above, while we saw 2 members of the Quorum of the Twelve each speak during the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, there were 3 in the Saturday Afternoon Session, 1 more in the Priesthood Session, and the remaining 4 during the Sunday Morning Session, which meant that the entire Sunday Morning Session of the October 2004 General Conference comprised of talks from apostles, the two new members, two other veteran apostles (Elders Nelson and Hales) and two First Presidency members (Presidents Monson and Hinckley).
By slight contrast, by the time the October 2015 General Conference had rolled around, the three newest apostles opted to do short addresses (speaking for 5-7 minutes each), and President Monson also gave very brief remarks. The remaining time went to the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (President Nelson), President Henry B. Eyring, and General Authority Seventies Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer & Claudio R. M. Costa.
So in addition to what I have posted about how the General Conference layout changes with a new Church president having his call sustained in a Solemn Assembly, we also will have a situation where the new Church President (President Nelson) will have his first opportunity to address the Church as a whole. Since he is in much better health than his predecessor, I would anticipate that the pattern for apostolic speaking that held for the October 2004 and October 2015 General Conferences will be true here, and also that the layout of the Sunday Morning Session will likely look more like it did for the former conference than it wound up being for the October 2015 General Conference.
One interesting thing struck me: President Nelson has been (or will be) involved in all three of those Sunday Morning Sessions that were exceptions to the general rule. He was the veteran apostle that was asked to speak after Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar's first addresses in October 2004, and after new apostles Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund gave their first talks in October 2015, he had his first opportunity to address the Church as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And now, as President of the Church, he will likely be the last speaker in the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2018 General Conference.
As I have previously noted, I have adjusted my predictions according to what I have felt most likely will happen. But if the reorganization of the First Presidency does not follow in either the timing or the manner that I think it will, that will change the layout of those predictions yet again.
Thanks for wading through these thoughts. That does it for this post. Any and all comments, are as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
As many of you may recall, the Church noted prior to the October 2015 General Conference that there had not been three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1906. So let's start there. The appointment of three new members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles became necessary in April 1906 due to the resignation of John W. Taylor (son of 3rd Church President John Taylor) and Matthias F. Cowley (from whose family line Matthew Cowley would later be called as an apostle as well) in late October 1905.
Their resignation came in protest of the Church (then led by Joseph F. Smith) reemphasizing the importance of the manifesto, originally issued by Wilford Woodruff, although a second manifesto to validate and clarify the intent behind the first was issued under President Smith. So that left two vacancies in the Quorum. The following February, another member of the Quorum Marriner W. Merrill, passed away. Since the other two vacancies had not yet been filled, that left the Quorum with 9 members, which resulted in the April appointment of George F. Richards, Orson F. Whitney, and David O. McKay.
The next time two apostles were ordained on the same day was when the 1943 deaths of Sylvester Q. Cannon and Rudger Clawson left two vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. As some of you may know, Spencer W. Kimball and Ezra Taft Benson, who would both serve as Presidents of the Church, were appointed to fill those vacancies during the October Conference of that year.
Then, in January 1983, the death of Mark E. Petersen left a vacancy in the Quorum that was not filled for over a year, by which time fellow apostle LeGrand Richards had also passed away (with the deaths of the two, oddly enough, coming exactly a year apart, as both occurred on January 11).
To fill those vacancies, the Church in April 1984 sustained Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks, although the latter was not able to be formally ordained and assume his new role until more than a month later. For that reason, while then-Elder Nelson gave his response to the call in the conference in which the two were sustained, Elder Oaks would have to wait until the following October to do so.
The Church did not see more than one vacancy in the apostleship again until Elders Neal A. Maxwell and David B. Haight passed away 10 days apart in July 2004 (with the passing of the former on July 21 coinciding with his 23rd anniversary as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. and the latter passing away on July 31).
As we all remember, Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar were called to fill the resulting vacancies. Another 11 years would pass before the next time when more than one apostle was called at the same time.
By that time (in 2015), we had seen the deaths of Elders L. Tom Perry and Richard G. Scott (on May 30 and September 22 respectively), and also the death of Quorum President Boyd K. Packer (on July 3). So the Church called 3 apostles at the same time for the first time since 1906, and those 3, as we know, were Elders Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G. Renlund.
For both the October 2004 & 2015 General Conferences, the Church did things a little differently in General Conference. Typically, as I have previously noted, we see 2 apostles each speak in the Saturday & Sunday Morning Sessions, 4 during Saturday Afternoon, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the final 3 during the Sunday Afternoon Session.
But for the two conferences above, while we saw 2 members of the Quorum of the Twelve each speak during the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, there were 3 in the Saturday Afternoon Session, 1 more in the Priesthood Session, and the remaining 4 during the Sunday Morning Session, which meant that the entire Sunday Morning Session of the October 2004 General Conference comprised of talks from apostles, the two new members, two other veteran apostles (Elders Nelson and Hales) and two First Presidency members (Presidents Monson and Hinckley).
By slight contrast, by the time the October 2015 General Conference had rolled around, the three newest apostles opted to do short addresses (speaking for 5-7 minutes each), and President Monson also gave very brief remarks. The remaining time went to the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (President Nelson), President Henry B. Eyring, and General Authority Seventies Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer & Claudio R. M. Costa.
So in addition to what I have posted about how the General Conference layout changes with a new Church president having his call sustained in a Solemn Assembly, we also will have a situation where the new Church President (President Nelson) will have his first opportunity to address the Church as a whole. Since he is in much better health than his predecessor, I would anticipate that the pattern for apostolic speaking that held for the October 2004 and October 2015 General Conferences will be true here, and also that the layout of the Sunday Morning Session will likely look more like it did for the former conference than it wound up being for the October 2015 General Conference.
One interesting thing struck me: President Nelson has been (or will be) involved in all three of those Sunday Morning Sessions that were exceptions to the general rule. He was the veteran apostle that was asked to speak after Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar's first addresses in October 2004, and after new apostles Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund gave their first talks in October 2015, he had his first opportunity to address the Church as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And now, as President of the Church, he will likely be the last speaker in the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2018 General Conference.
As I have previously noted, I have adjusted my predictions according to what I have felt most likely will happen. But if the reorganization of the First Presidency does not follow in either the timing or the manner that I think it will, that will change the layout of those predictions yet again.
Thanks for wading through these thoughts. That does it for this post. Any and all comments, are as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Updated Temple Developments
Hello again, everyone! I am posting today to pass along some significant temple-related developments that have come to my attention within the last 24-48 hours or so. and which are well worth mentioning on this blog. So let's get right into all of that.
First of all, I have offered my opinion previously that the Church could have 200 temples by the time it marks its' bicentennial anniversary (which will occur on Saturday April 6, 2030). With that milestone being just 12.24 years or so from now, and with 41 temples to complete by that time (23 in various stages of that process, and 18 new temples that will also need to be announced, constructed, and dedicated by that time), the Church would need to complete around 3.35 temples per year between now and then. As I have previously observed, that not only seems likely, but very reasonably doable, whether or not an official goal is made to do so.
Moving on now to new temples under construction, it was recently reported that the Arequipa Peru Temple has had scaffolding installed around the top of the temple as efforts turn to the roof and the steeple of that edifice. Meanwhile, the installation of temporary windows to enclose that structure continues.
Turning now to the Rio de Janeiro Temple, by all reports, it would appear that this temple may be larger than originally reported, which explains the shift in its' completion estimate. That temple has recently seen rebar installed in preparation for the pouring of the steeple base.
With the knowledge that the temple in Rio de Janeiro is only anticipated to be completed during early 2020, it will be interesting to see if that temple is dedicated before or after the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. Though I have kept my eyes open for information on this, I have not yet been able to ascertain whether or not the modification of the plans for that temple will change the estimate of 20 months that was previously offered for that temple's construction process. And, of course, with another winter having set in in Winnipeg, full-scale efforts might only begin in April or May of this year.
In the meantime, the final update I wanted to note is that the Raleigh North Carolina Temple is now officially closed for its' renovation. The thing that struck me as interesting is that, while I originally offered my thoughts that that temple could be rededicated sometime during mid-to-late 2019, there may now be reason to believe that it will be completed a bit earlier, in mid-2019. I have not seen anything in that altered estimate that might point to a need to again change the estimated time-frame i have previously offered, but I am keeping my eyes open for information in that regard, and will adjust my thoughts accordingly.
As I keep saying, it is wonderful to see so many great updates on temple construction worldwide on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, and I will do my very best to pass along any and all subsequent updates in that regard as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
First of all, I have offered my opinion previously that the Church could have 200 temples by the time it marks its' bicentennial anniversary (which will occur on Saturday April 6, 2030). With that milestone being just 12.24 years or so from now, and with 41 temples to complete by that time (23 in various stages of that process, and 18 new temples that will also need to be announced, constructed, and dedicated by that time), the Church would need to complete around 3.35 temples per year between now and then. As I have previously observed, that not only seems likely, but very reasonably doable, whether or not an official goal is made to do so.
Moving on now to new temples under construction, it was recently reported that the Arequipa Peru Temple has had scaffolding installed around the top of the temple as efforts turn to the roof and the steeple of that edifice. Meanwhile, the installation of temporary windows to enclose that structure continues.
Turning now to the Rio de Janeiro Temple, by all reports, it would appear that this temple may be larger than originally reported, which explains the shift in its' completion estimate. That temple has recently seen rebar installed in preparation for the pouring of the steeple base.
With the knowledge that the temple in Rio de Janeiro is only anticipated to be completed during early 2020, it will be interesting to see if that temple is dedicated before or after the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple. Though I have kept my eyes open for information on this, I have not yet been able to ascertain whether or not the modification of the plans for that temple will change the estimate of 20 months that was previously offered for that temple's construction process. And, of course, with another winter having set in in Winnipeg, full-scale efforts might only begin in April or May of this year.
In the meantime, the final update I wanted to note is that the Raleigh North Carolina Temple is now officially closed for its' renovation. The thing that struck me as interesting is that, while I originally offered my thoughts that that temple could be rededicated sometime during mid-to-late 2019, there may now be reason to believe that it will be completed a bit earlier, in mid-2019. I have not seen anything in that altered estimate that might point to a need to again change the estimated time-frame i have previously offered, but I am keeping my eyes open for information in that regard, and will adjust my thoughts accordingly.
As I keep saying, it is wonderful to see so many great updates on temple construction worldwide on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, and I will do my very best to pass along any and all subsequent updates in that regard as I become aware of them. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Exploring Where President Nelson Will Rank Among His Prophetic Predecessors
Hello again, everyone! With just short of a week left until funeral services are held to honor the life of President Thomas S. Monson, and noting that it will, at earliest, be a couple of days after that (Sunday January 14) before the First Presidency is reorganized, and still another day before the new First Presidency will meet the press and take questions from media representatives, I wanted to take a moment in this post to pass along some data I have compiled regarding where President Nelson will fit in with his prophetic predecessors in terms of his age and tenure.
Obviously, in doing so, I am working off the assumption that President Nelson will become the next President of the Church. At times like these, the Church's doctrines and policies indicate that if the senior apostle consults with the Lord and feels impressed to do so, he could announce his feeling that someone junior to him should be appointed in his stead. But that has never once happened in any of the 15 (soon to be 16) transitions there have been in the Church presidency, so while it is possible, it is unlikely.
With that said, I am going to note the obvious here: that is, that President Nelson will be the Church president with the shortest tenure for the first 9 months or so he serves, and because of the varying tenure lengths of his predecessors, he will mark only one tenure milestone before the end of this year,
In terms of his age, his birth date makes him the 16th in chronological order, while his age will put him at the bottom of the five oldest Church presidents. And if he is still living roughly a week after the April 2022 General Conference, he will have already become the oldest prophet in the Church's history. About one year previous to that time, his tenure length will have reached the 13th longest such period in Church history.
It continually amazes me to consider how Church presidents come to these callings ready to do the Lord's will for as long as his service in that capacity is needed, and also how and when the Lord enables other apostles to move up in apostolic seniority, with some passing away before they become Church president, and others outliving those senior to them, whether they are older or younger than those who have gone before.
I hope this information was helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
Obviously, in doing so, I am working off the assumption that President Nelson will become the next President of the Church. At times like these, the Church's doctrines and policies indicate that if the senior apostle consults with the Lord and feels impressed to do so, he could announce his feeling that someone junior to him should be appointed in his stead. But that has never once happened in any of the 15 (soon to be 16) transitions there have been in the Church presidency, so while it is possible, it is unlikely.
With that said, I am going to note the obvious here: that is, that President Nelson will be the Church president with the shortest tenure for the first 9 months or so he serves, and because of the varying tenure lengths of his predecessors, he will mark only one tenure milestone before the end of this year,
In terms of his age, his birth date makes him the 16th in chronological order, while his age will put him at the bottom of the five oldest Church presidents. And if he is still living roughly a week after the April 2022 General Conference, he will have already become the oldest prophet in the Church's history. About one year previous to that time, his tenure length will have reached the 13th longest such period in Church history.
It continually amazes me to consider how Church presidents come to these callings ready to do the Lord's will for as long as his service in that capacity is needed, and also how and when the Lord enables other apostles to move up in apostolic seniority, with some passing away before they become Church president, and others outliving those senior to them, whether they are older or younger than those who have gone before.
I hope this information was helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Friday, January 5, 2018
President Monson's Ministry By the Numbers
Hello again, everyone! This will just be a brief post to share how the Mormon Newsroom's website just released this article, which looks at President Monson's ministry by the numbers. It is interesting to see the last decade of Church progress and how that has related to other major achievements of our dear prophet. I hope many (if not all) of you will find that interesting as well. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
An Interesting Anomaly Regarding Upcoming Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults
Hello again, everyone! Yesterday or the day before (I'm honestly not sure which), I had posted a few thoughts about how assignments given or approved by a prophet who subsequently passes away prior to such events occurring are generally honored by his successor in the Church presidency. And it appears that is the case with the assignment given to the Uchtdorfs to speak during the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults.
There is an interesting anomaly about that assignment, along with a unique invitation associated with it that I thought was worth mentioning. In regards to the unique invitation, the Uchtdorfs have invited many young adults in Utah to be with them in the Conference Center as the devotional is held. But they have also announced that the devotional will include activities for their involvement, the encouragement to use social media during the course of that devotional, and refreshments and an informal get-together after the devotional.
Now that I have discussed the unique invitation, here is the anomaly: This Church News article uses the honorific title for President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, but this article from the Church's official website is virtually a verbatim copy of that article, with one exception: it refers to him as "Elder Uchtdorf".
In an earlier comment in which I offered my response to a question about the use of the honorific title, I mentioned that it is generally customary for counselors of a deceased Church president to retain the use of their honorific titles at least through the funeral services, if they do not go on to be retained in the First Presidency under the new Church president.
So I thought it was interesting that two almost identical sources about this devotional have different designations for President Monson's Second Counselor. With that said, that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
There is an interesting anomaly about that assignment, along with a unique invitation associated with it that I thought was worth mentioning. In regards to the unique invitation, the Uchtdorfs have invited many young adults in Utah to be with them in the Conference Center as the devotional is held. But they have also announced that the devotional will include activities for their involvement, the encouragement to use social media during the course of that devotional, and refreshments and an informal get-together after the devotional.
Now that I have discussed the unique invitation, here is the anomaly: This Church News article uses the honorific title for President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, but this article from the Church's official website is virtually a verbatim copy of that article, with one exception: it refers to him as "Elder Uchtdorf".
In an earlier comment in which I offered my response to a question about the use of the honorific title, I mentioned that it is generally customary for counselors of a deceased Church president to retain the use of their honorific titles at least through the funeral services, if they do not go on to be retained in the First Presidency under the new Church president.
So I thought it was interesting that two almost identical sources about this devotional have different designations for President Monson's Second Counselor. With that said, that does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Slight Update Provided For the Completion Time-frame for the Houston Texas Temple
Hello again, everyone! While there have not been any major Church or temple news items in the last 36 hours or so, I did find one update, albeit a minor one, to the estimated time-frame for when the restoration or renovation process will be completed this year for the Houston Texas Temple. A few of the sources I have available for temple-related information have updated that time-frame from early 2018 to spring 2018. That development makes sense. Early 2018 can be considered as the first 3-5 months of the year, whereas spring (at least in the northern hemisphere), goes from mid-March to mid-June. So that is only a slight difference. And I did want to note, for what it's worth, that I don't see this change as reason enough to alter my estimate for that event (which I have said could occur on either April 15 or 22). Just wanted to pass that update along to you all.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Potential Speakers at Funeral Services for President Monson
Hello again, everyone! In the late-night hours where the 3rd has become the 4th, I am back to pass along some thoughts about whom we might hear from during the funeral services for President Thomas S. Monson. Based on the outline for President Hinckley's funeral 10 years ago, I have felt the outline could look something like this:
Presiding: President Russell M. Nelson
Conducting: President Henry B. Eyring
Speakers: Sister Ann M. Dibb (representing the family)
Bishop Gerald Causse
Elder L. Whitney Clayton
President Russell M. Nelson
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
President Henry B. Eyring
Again, these are no more and no less than my own personal thoughts, based on what we saw with President Hinckley's funeral services almost 10 years ago. The funeral for President Howard W. Hunter saw a slightly different formula, with addresses from Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Elder James E. Faust, President Boyd K. Packer, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Gordon B. Hinckley. Since this funeral will be put together in the way the Monson family prefers, we could see something different happen. Whatever might happen in terms of that funeral, you can depend on my report on it here after the fact.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
Presiding: President Russell M. Nelson
Conducting: President Henry B. Eyring
Speakers: Sister Ann M. Dibb (representing the family)
Bishop Gerald Causse
Elder L. Whitney Clayton
President Russell M. Nelson
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
President Henry B. Eyring
Again, these are no more and no less than my own personal thoughts, based on what we saw with President Hinckley's funeral services almost 10 years ago. The funeral for President Howard W. Hunter saw a slightly different formula, with addresses from Jon M. Huntsman Sr., Elder James E. Faust, President Boyd K. Packer, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Gordon B. Hinckley. Since this funeral will be put together in the way the Monson family prefers, we could see something different happen. Whatever might happen in terms of that funeral, you can depend on my report on it here after the fact.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Some Observations Regarding First Presidency Members Retained by Prophetic Successors
Hello again, everyone! As I observed in another post earlier today, since President Monson's funeral has been set for Friday January 12, the First Presidency will not be reorganized until the following Sunday, January 14. That said, I thought it might be helpful for some of you if I posted some observations about retained members of the First Presidency after a new Church President is called.
So let's get into that. I don't know how many of you might have been aware of this, but President Monson received his apostolic call because the next most junior apostle at that time, Elder N. Eldon Tanner, had been called as a counselor to President David O. McKay after only having served in that Quorum for a year. He served with President McKay until the 9th Church President passed away.
When Joseph Fielding Smith was subsequently ordained as the 10th Church President, he retained President Tanner as Second Counselor and called President Lee as his First Counselor, with the three serving together for roughly 2.5 years. When President Lee became Church President, he again retained President Tanner, but selected him as his First Counselor, and chose President Marion G. Romney as his Second Counselor. Presidents Tanner and Romney were retained by President Kimball when he became Church President in 1973.
During President Kimball's administration (in the early 80s), all three men were older, not feeling well, and not able to function fully. That brought President Gordon B. Hinckley into the First Presidency as an additional counselor in July 1981. Roughly 1.5 years later, President Tanner passed away, at which point President Kimball designated Presidents Romney and Hinckley as his new First and Second Counselors respectively. During the 4 years President HInckley served as President Kimball's counselor, he was the only actively functioning member of the First Presidency.
For that reason, when President Benson became Church President, he did not retain President Romney in the First Presidency, but designated Presidents Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson as his First and Second Counselors respectively. When President Hunter became Church President, he retained the two men in the same positions. Following President Hunter's passing, President Hinckley selected Presidents Monson and James E. Faust as his First and Second Counselors.
More recently, upon President Faust's death in August 2007, President Hinckley selected President Henry B. Eyring to fill the vacancy in the First Presidency. And as we all know, when President Hinckley himself passed away just under 10 years ago, President Monson retained President Eyring, making him his First Counselor, and he called President Uchtdorf to serve as Second Counselor.
This brings me to my point in mentioning all of this background information. While there are no set rules that would require President Nelson to retain one or both of President Monson's counselors, since the two sat in councils with President Monson, they would likely be aware of anything that President Monson indicated he wanted done, which would factor into the potential things that President Nelson will be accomplishing during however long he serves as Church President.
So I think it would be safe to assume that President Nelson will retain both Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf, though nothing is stopping him from doing otherwise, if he feels so inclined. The amazing thing with those two counselors to President Monson is that, as I have previously noted, they were the 11th and 12th most senior apostles at the time they were called to serve with President Monson almost 10 years ago, and the apostles that have passed away within that decade has resulted in the two now being the 5th and 6th in seniority respectively. If President Nelson discerns that the Lord needs it to be otherwise, it will, of course, be so, but it seems to be a safe conclusion for now.
Whomever his counselors wind up being, we do know that Elder Oaks will ordain and set apart President Nelson in his new calling, and that President Nelson, after setting apart his counselors (assuming Elder Oaks is not one of them), will then set apart Elder Oaks as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And, as I already noted, since President Monson's funeral services have been set for January 12, we will likely see President Nelson officially take the mantle of Church leadership on the following Sunday (which will be the 14th), and the press conference introducing the new First Presidency on the following day.
Hope these thoughts are helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
So let's get into that. I don't know how many of you might have been aware of this, but President Monson received his apostolic call because the next most junior apostle at that time, Elder N. Eldon Tanner, had been called as a counselor to President David O. McKay after only having served in that Quorum for a year. He served with President McKay until the 9th Church President passed away.
When Joseph Fielding Smith was subsequently ordained as the 10th Church President, he retained President Tanner as Second Counselor and called President Lee as his First Counselor, with the three serving together for roughly 2.5 years. When President Lee became Church President, he again retained President Tanner, but selected him as his First Counselor, and chose President Marion G. Romney as his Second Counselor. Presidents Tanner and Romney were retained by President Kimball when he became Church President in 1973.
During President Kimball's administration (in the early 80s), all three men were older, not feeling well, and not able to function fully. That brought President Gordon B. Hinckley into the First Presidency as an additional counselor in July 1981. Roughly 1.5 years later, President Tanner passed away, at which point President Kimball designated Presidents Romney and Hinckley as his new First and Second Counselors respectively. During the 4 years President HInckley served as President Kimball's counselor, he was the only actively functioning member of the First Presidency.
For that reason, when President Benson became Church President, he did not retain President Romney in the First Presidency, but designated Presidents Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson as his First and Second Counselors respectively. When President Hunter became Church President, he retained the two men in the same positions. Following President Hunter's passing, President Hinckley selected Presidents Monson and James E. Faust as his First and Second Counselors.
More recently, upon President Faust's death in August 2007, President Hinckley selected President Henry B. Eyring to fill the vacancy in the First Presidency. And as we all know, when President Hinckley himself passed away just under 10 years ago, President Monson retained President Eyring, making him his First Counselor, and he called President Uchtdorf to serve as Second Counselor.
This brings me to my point in mentioning all of this background information. While there are no set rules that would require President Nelson to retain one or both of President Monson's counselors, since the two sat in councils with President Monson, they would likely be aware of anything that President Monson indicated he wanted done, which would factor into the potential things that President Nelson will be accomplishing during however long he serves as Church President.
So I think it would be safe to assume that President Nelson will retain both Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf, though nothing is stopping him from doing otherwise, if he feels so inclined. The amazing thing with those two counselors to President Monson is that, as I have previously noted, they were the 11th and 12th most senior apostles at the time they were called to serve with President Monson almost 10 years ago, and the apostles that have passed away within that decade has resulted in the two now being the 5th and 6th in seniority respectively. If President Nelson discerns that the Lord needs it to be otherwise, it will, of course, be so, but it seems to be a safe conclusion for now.
Whomever his counselors wind up being, we do know that Elder Oaks will ordain and set apart President Nelson in his new calling, and that President Nelson, after setting apart his counselors (assuming Elder Oaks is not one of them), will then set apart Elder Oaks as the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And, as I already noted, since President Monson's funeral services have been set for January 12, we will likely see President Nelson officially take the mantle of Church leadership on the following Sunday (which will be the 14th), and the press conference introducing the new First Presidency on the following day.
Hope these thoughts are helpful to at least some of you. That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
Some Thoughts Regarding the April 2018 General Conference
Hello again, everyone! I wanted to post right now with some thoughts that I have had about the April General Conference. First, while the tradition of having the Solemn Assembly Sustaining of Church Officers conducted as the first item of business in the Saturday Morning Session has held true for the last three Church Presidents (Monson, Hinckley, and Hunter), that Solemn Assembly can happen at any point designated by the new Church President, which in the case of the Solemn Assembly for Ezra Taft Benson was held during the Sunday Afternoon Session after three addresses, one from Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the other two from General Authority Seventies James M. Paramore (who would be called to the Presidency of the Seventy in August of the following year) and Jacob de Jager. That appears to be the one exception in recent years.
Quick sidenote here, because I tend to go off on tangents a lot. At the time of that Solemn Assembly for President Benson, whatever the reason may have been for it, the apostolic vacancy was not filled, nor would it be until the following October, when President Benson called Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. As an additional interesting note, in addition to Elder Wirthlin, the other two apostles called by President Benson were Elders Richard G. Scott and Robert D. Hales, and the three have all died, oddly enough, in that same order, with Elder Wirthlin having passed away on December 1, 2008, Elder Scott doing so on September 22, 2015, and Elder Hales on October 1, 2017, which, as noted repeatedly in other posts, occurred between the Sunday Sessions of General Conference.
But getting back to the topic of Solemn Assemblies, since this was in the time when General Conference was held for three days, the April 1974 Solemn Assembly for President Spencer W. Kimball was held at the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session. The one peculiar anomaly about that is that two sessions of that conference were held the previous day, Harold B. Lee was also mostly an exception to the rule: although that sustaining occurred at the beginning of the first session of General Conference, that session was held Friday morning. I could go further back into history, but I wanted to get to my other points.
Since there have only been two of the last six Presidents of the Church that have had their Solemn Assembly held at other times than the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session, it is more than likely that the Solemn Assembly which will be held in April for President Nelson will be during that Saturday Morning Session.
Next, I wanted to note that Presidents Monson and Hinckley both gave their first addresses as Church president during the Priesthood Session of the General Conferences in which they were sustained, and their first address to the Church as a whole the following morning. Presidents Hunter, Benson, Kimball, and Lee all gave their first addresses during the first session of General Conference (which was the Saturday Morning Session for the first two and the Friday Morning Session for the other two).
While there are no hard and fast rules about when a new Church President will first address Church membership, since the most recent two prophets both opted to wait to give their first addresses during the Priesthood and Sunday Morning Sessions, I think it likely that could occr again for President Nelson.
Also, there are not any set rules, as I'm sure most of you know, about who leads such Solemn Assemblies.We have had the First Counselor in the First Presidency lead them for Presidents Lee and Kimball (both of those times, that counselor was President N. Eldon Tanner), and for Presidents Benson and Hunter (both by President Gordon B. Hinckley), and President Thomas S. Monson (for President Hinckley). The one exception to the seeming precedence of the First Counselor leading out in that Solemn Assembly was for President Thomas S. Monson, for which President Dieter F. Uchtdorf led out as the prophet's Second Counselor. This may have mostly been due to the fact that President Eyring was in recovery from an ankle injury.
So, with that in mind, I feel confident that President Nelson could ask either of his counselors to lead out in April, and that President Nelson's first opportunity to speak as Church President will likely be during the Priesthood Session, with his first opportunity to speak to the entire Church membership occurring during the Sunday Morning Session (at which time he may also announce any new temple locations).
Additionally, while predicting how many addresses President Nelson might give, in addition to those of his counselors, may be hard to accomplish, it has been a long-standing custom for the Presidents of the Church to speak at both the beginning of each conference in the Saturday Morning Session and the end of each conference at the Sunday Afternoon Session. There have been some exceptions to that, such as when a new Church President is sustained in a Solemn Assembly during such conferences, or, as we saw more recently, in the last 5 General Conferences in which President Monson spoke, as his age and health did not allow him to speak in either of those sessions.
Finally, I wanted to talk a bit about how many members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles might speak to us in each of the 5 General Conference Sessions this April. As I have previously noted, during most General Conferences, we typically hear from 2 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during both the Saturday and Sunday Morning Sessions, with 4 others speaking Saturday Afternoon, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the remaining 3 during the Sunday Afternoon Session.
That general pattern of speaking has been altered somewhat at times when there were two or more vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. Both in October 2004 (when Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar were sustained) and again in October 2015, when our three newest apostles (Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund) were sustained,, the typical patterns were slightly altered.
During both of those conferences, 2 of the Quorum members spoke during both the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, with 3 in the Saturday Afternoon Session, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the other 4 during the Sunday Morning Session. I think we will likely see that happen again as well, which means that if this order is used, the entire two hours of the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference will be comprised of talks from 6 apostles, 4 from the Quorum of the Twelve, along with President Nelson and whichever of his counselors does not speak during the Saturday Morning Session.
I could go on further about this, but I will forebear for the moment. I hope this post has provided helpful information to at least some of you. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
Quick sidenote here, because I tend to go off on tangents a lot. At the time of that Solemn Assembly for President Benson, whatever the reason may have been for it, the apostolic vacancy was not filled, nor would it be until the following October, when President Benson called Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. As an additional interesting note, in addition to Elder Wirthlin, the other two apostles called by President Benson were Elders Richard G. Scott and Robert D. Hales, and the three have all died, oddly enough, in that same order, with Elder Wirthlin having passed away on December 1, 2008, Elder Scott doing so on September 22, 2015, and Elder Hales on October 1, 2017, which, as noted repeatedly in other posts, occurred between the Sunday Sessions of General Conference.
But getting back to the topic of Solemn Assemblies, since this was in the time when General Conference was held for three days, the April 1974 Solemn Assembly for President Spencer W. Kimball was held at the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session. The one peculiar anomaly about that is that two sessions of that conference were held the previous day, Harold B. Lee was also mostly an exception to the rule: although that sustaining occurred at the beginning of the first session of General Conference, that session was held Friday morning. I could go further back into history, but I wanted to get to my other points.
Since there have only been two of the last six Presidents of the Church that have had their Solemn Assembly held at other times than the beginning of the Saturday Morning Session, it is more than likely that the Solemn Assembly which will be held in April for President Nelson will be during that Saturday Morning Session.
Next, I wanted to note that Presidents Monson and Hinckley both gave their first addresses as Church president during the Priesthood Session of the General Conferences in which they were sustained, and their first address to the Church as a whole the following morning. Presidents Hunter, Benson, Kimball, and Lee all gave their first addresses during the first session of General Conference (which was the Saturday Morning Session for the first two and the Friday Morning Session for the other two).
While there are no hard and fast rules about when a new Church President will first address Church membership, since the most recent two prophets both opted to wait to give their first addresses during the Priesthood and Sunday Morning Sessions, I think it likely that could occr again for President Nelson.
Also, there are not any set rules, as I'm sure most of you know, about who leads such Solemn Assemblies.We have had the First Counselor in the First Presidency lead them for Presidents Lee and Kimball (both of those times, that counselor was President N. Eldon Tanner), and for Presidents Benson and Hunter (both by President Gordon B. Hinckley), and President Thomas S. Monson (for President Hinckley). The one exception to the seeming precedence of the First Counselor leading out in that Solemn Assembly was for President Thomas S. Monson, for which President Dieter F. Uchtdorf led out as the prophet's Second Counselor. This may have mostly been due to the fact that President Eyring was in recovery from an ankle injury.
So, with that in mind, I feel confident that President Nelson could ask either of his counselors to lead out in April, and that President Nelson's first opportunity to speak as Church President will likely be during the Priesthood Session, with his first opportunity to speak to the entire Church membership occurring during the Sunday Morning Session (at which time he may also announce any new temple locations).
Additionally, while predicting how many addresses President Nelson might give, in addition to those of his counselors, may be hard to accomplish, it has been a long-standing custom for the Presidents of the Church to speak at both the beginning of each conference in the Saturday Morning Session and the end of each conference at the Sunday Afternoon Session. There have been some exceptions to that, such as when a new Church President is sustained in a Solemn Assembly during such conferences, or, as we saw more recently, in the last 5 General Conferences in which President Monson spoke, as his age and health did not allow him to speak in either of those sessions.
Finally, I wanted to talk a bit about how many members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles might speak to us in each of the 5 General Conference Sessions this April. As I have previously noted, during most General Conferences, we typically hear from 2 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during both the Saturday and Sunday Morning Sessions, with 4 others speaking Saturday Afternoon, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the remaining 3 during the Sunday Afternoon Session.
That general pattern of speaking has been altered somewhat at times when there were two or more vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. Both in October 2004 (when Elders Uchtdorf and Bednar were sustained) and again in October 2015, when our three newest apostles (Elders Rasband, Stevenson, and Renlund) were sustained,, the typical patterns were slightly altered.
During both of those conferences, 2 of the Quorum members spoke during both the Saturday Morning and Sunday Afternoon Sessions, with 3 in the Saturday Afternoon Session, 1 during the Priesthood Session, and the other 4 during the Sunday Morning Session. I think we will likely see that happen again as well, which means that if this order is used, the entire two hours of the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference will be comprised of talks from 6 apostles, 4 from the Quorum of the Twelve, along with President Nelson and whichever of his counselors does not speak during the Saturday Morning Session.
I could go on further about this, but I will forebear for the moment. I hope this post has provided helpful information to at least some of you. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. 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.
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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