SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced 17 new temples during the concluding session of the October 2024 general conference.
One of the new temples will be in Price.
See the full list of announced locations below:
- Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
- Santa Ana, El Salvador
- Medellín, Colombia
- Santiago, Dominican Republic
- Puerto Montt, Chile
- Dublin, Ireland
- Milan, Italy
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Kampala, Uganda
- Maputo, Mozambique
- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Queen Creek, Arizona
- El Paso, Texas
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Summit, New Jersey
- Price, Utah
“Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace?” asked the prophet, who has announced 185 temples — more than half of all temples in the Church — since 2018.
“Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!”
Latter-day Saints consider each temple to be a house of the Lord and the most sacred places of worship on the earth says the Church statement. “The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church to receive peace, inspiration, and spiritual power as they enter into sacred agreements with God in His holy house.”
See below for more information about the Church of Jesus Christ in each location.
Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
Juchitán lies on the southeast coast of Oaxaca, a state on the Pacific side of southern Mexico.
The Juchitán Mexico Temple will be the 26th house of the Lord in the country. Dedicated temples in Mexico are found in Ciudad Juárez, Colonia Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz and Villahermosa. There are also temples under construction or announced in Cancún, Chihuahua, Cuernavaca, Culiacán, Mexico City, Benemérito, Pachuca, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Toluca, Torreón and Tula.
Mexico has more than 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in nearly 1,900 congregations. Missionary work began in Mexico in 1875.
Santa Ana, El Salvador
The Santa Ana El Salvador Temple will be the second house of the Lord in El Salvador. The San Salvador El Salvador Temple was dedicated in August 2011. Santa Ana is the second-largest city in El Salvador and is situated in the northwestern part of the country. El Salvador is home to nearly 130,000 Latter-day Saints in approximately 55 congregations.
Medellín, Colombia
The temple in Medellín will be the fourth in Colombia. Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia. Missionaries first arrived in Colombia in 1966. Today, the country is home to more than 215,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 260 congregations. The other three temples in operation or announced in Colombia are in Barranquilla, Bogotá and Cali.
Santiago, Dominican Republic
The temple in Santiago will be the Caribbean nation’s second temple. Santiago is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is home to nearly 150,000 Latter-day Saints in about 200 congregations. The nation’s first temple in Santo Domingo was dedicated in 2000.
Puerto Montt, Chile
Puerto Montt is a port city in southern Chile. This will be the first temple in the region.
Since missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ arrived in 1851, Chile has become home to more than 600,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 570 congregations. The Puerto Montt Chile Temple will be the sixth house of the Lord in the country. The first temple in the Spanish-speaking countries of South America was dedicated in Santiago in 1983. The other four temples in operation, under construction or announced in Chile are in Antofagasta, Concepción, Santiago West and Viña del Mar.
Dublin, Ireland
The Dublin Ireland Temple will be the first house of the Lord in Ireland. Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland.
The restored gospel of Church of Jesus Christ was introduced to Ireland in 1840 when early missionaries baptized the first Irish convert. Today, around 4,000 Latter-day Saints call Ireland home in 13 congregations. Latter-day Saints in Ireland currently travel to England to worship in temples.
Milan, Italy
The Milan Italy Temple will be the second house of the Lord in the country. The first was the historic Rome Italy Temple, which was dedicated in 2019 by President Nelson. Both the First Presidency and the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles participated in multiple dedicatory sessions.
Italy is home to more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 100 congregations. In 1850, Elder Lorenzo Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was among the first missionaries to serve in Italy. The first congregation of Latter-day Saints was established in 1966, and the first Italian mission was opened later that year in Florence.
Abuja, Nigeria
The Abuja Nigeria Temple will be the sixth temple built in this West African country. The Aba Nigeria Temple was dedicated in 2005. The four other temples under construction in Nigeria are the Benin City Nigeria Temple, the Calabar Nigeria Temple, the Eket Nigeria Temple and the Lagos Nigeria Temple. There are more than 230,000 Latter-day Saints in around 810 congregations in Nigeria. Abuja is the nation’s capital.
Kampala, Uganda
The Kampala Uganda Temple will be the first temple in Uganda, a country located in east-central Africa. Uganda is home to more than 22,000 Latter-day Saints in about 40 congregations. Kampala, the capital and largest city, is located on the East African Plateau. Expatriate Latter-day Saints lived in and held meetings in Uganda in the 1960s. The first official congregation was established in the early 1990s.
Maputo, Mozambique
The Maputo Mozambique Temple will be the second house of the Lord in the country. The first was the Beira Mozambique Temple, announced in April 2021. Mozambique, a country in Southern Africa, is home to nearly 25,000 Latter-day Saints in about 70 congregations. Maputo, a city of over 1 million people, is the capital of Mozambique. Missionary work officially began in the country in 1999.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Coeur d’Alene, a city with a population of more than 50,000, is the seat of Kootenai County in northern Idaho. Nearby Spokane, Washington, is also home to a house of the Lord.
Idaho is home to more than 475,000 members of the Church in over 1,200 congregations. Early Church pioneers settled in Idaho in 1855. Several Church presidents are natives of Idaho, including Presidents Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson and Howard W. Hunter.
The Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple will be the state’s 10th temple. Other temples in the state include the Boise Idaho Temple, Burley Idaho Temple, Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, Meridian Idaho Temple, Montpelier Idaho Temple, Pocatello Idaho Temple, Rexburg Idaho Temple, Teton River Idaho Temple and Twin Falls Idaho Temple.
Queen Creek, Arizona
The Queen Creek Arizona Temple will be the eighth temple in Arizona, in the Southwest United States. There are nearly 443,000 Latter-day Saints in the state in around 925 congregations. The first Church members arrived in Arizona in the winter of 1846. Other temples in the state are in Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Snowflake, the Gila Valley, Tucson and Yuma.
Queen Creek, known originally as “Rittenhouse,” was settled by early Arizona homesteaders. Queen Creek was incorporated in 1989 and is in the far southeast of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. There are more than 80,000 residents in the Queen Creek area.
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, located in Texas’ westernmost corner in the South Central United States, is the seat of El Paso County and the sixth-largest city in the state.
Texas is home to more than 385,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 750 congregations. Missionary work in Texas began in 1843 during the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The El Paso Texas Temple will be the state’s 10th temple. Other temples that are announced, under construction or in operation, include the Austin Texas Temple, Dallas Texas Temple, Fort Worth Texas Temple, Houston Texas Temple, Houston Texas South Temple, Lubbock Texas Temple, McAllen Texas Temple, McKinney Texas Temple and San Antonio Texas Temple.
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, is the most populated city in the state, with more than 225,000 residents. Alabama is located in the Southeast United States.
The Huntsville Alabama Temple will be the second temple in the state, joining the Birmingham Alabama Temple.
Alabama has over 40,000 members in about 75 congregations.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin, located in the Midwest region of the United States, is home to more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 65 congregations. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Temple will be the first temple for the state.
Summit, New Jersey
The Summit New Jersey Temple will be the first in the state of New Jersey, which is in the Northeastern United States. Around 35,000 Latter-day Saints in over 60 congregations call New Jersey home. Latter-day Saint missionaries first preached in New Jersey in 1832. Currently, the closest temples to Church members in New Jersey are found in Manhattan, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Price, Utah
The Price Utah Temple will be the first house of the Lord in Carbon County, located in eastern Utah. Price is the county seat of Carbon County.
Utah, the Church’s world headquarters, is home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints, approximately two-thirds of the state’s population of 3.5 million people. The temple in the city of Price will be the 31st temple in Utah either in operation, under renovation, under construction or announced.
Temples currently in operation in the state are in American Fork (Mount Timpanogos), Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Layton, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Ogden, Orem, Payson, Provo (Provo City Center), Saratoga Springs, South Jordan (Jordan River and Oquirrh Mountain), St. George (Red Cliffs and St. George), Taylorsville and Vernal. New temples under construction in Utah are in Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse and Tooele (Deseret Peak). The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple and Salt Lake Temple are currently under renovation. Temples in Lehi and West Jordan were announced in April 2024.
