Speaking on Saturday afternoon during the fifth and final session of General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson announced 17 new temples — 10 international and seven in the United States, including one in Price, Utah.
In doing so, he brought the total temples operating, announced or under construction for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint to 367, including 31 in Utah alone.
Below are the all the newly announced locations:
• 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.
The announcement contained the faith’s first planned temples for Ireland, Uganda, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Utah’s Carbon County.
For many on the list — including El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Alabama — the announced temple will, upon completion, be its second.
Independent church tracker Matt Martinich, who correctly guessed five of the new locations (El Paso, Kampala, Price, Puerto Montt and Santiago were on his top 10 list), said Mozambique is unique in church history for having a second temple announced before the country’s first had a chance to be completed. Nelson announced the Beira, Mozambique, temple in 2021, while Sunday he named one for the nation’s capital of Maputo.
Martinich, who blogs at ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com, suggested this was likely because the nation is currently experiencing explosive growth in both cities, which are located a 17-hour drive from each other.
However, he said it would be incorrect to assume all the announced temples were for locations seeing growth in church membership. Rather, the current surge has more to do, he explained, with satisfying the church’s goal of increasing temple accessibility than meeting demand.
For this reason, Martinich said, he didn’t expect to “see announcements to slow down anytime soon.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Aaronic Priesthood end of the Assembly Room of the Salt Lake Temple as of July 31, 2024. This is one of the rooms being restored in the temple’s extensive renovation.
Nelson also offered an update on the massive renovation of the Salt Lake Temple, which he said is scheduled to wrap up at the end of 2026.
The 100-year-old Nelson, who delivered the news in a recorded message and with help from a desktop teleprompter (“my eyes,” he said, “are getting older”) has announced 185 temples — 50.4% of all those planned or existing — during his nearly seven-year presidency.
“Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace?” Nelson asked. “Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so.”
He explained that the blessings they provide “help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”
Utah is currently home to 20 functioning Latter-day Saint temples: Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River (South Jordan), Layton, Logan, Manti (rededicated in April), Monticello, Mount Timpanogos (American Fork), Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain (South Jordan), Orem, Payson, Provo City Center (converted from the former Provo Tabernacle), Red Cliffs (St. George — dedicated in March); Saratoga Springs, St. George, Taylorsville and Vernal.
Tooele’s Deseret Peak Temple is set to be dedicated next month. Eight more temples — Ephraim, Heber Valley, Lehi, Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse, West Jordan and now Price — are either under construction or in planning stages.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Deseret Peak Utah Temple in Tooele is shown in May 2024. It will be dedicated in November.
Besides the Salt Lake Temple, the Space Age Provo Temple is being overhauled and will be renamed the Provo Rock Canyon Temple.
There are nearly 200 functioning Latter-day Saint temples worldwide.
For members, these sacred buildings represent nothing short of Houses of the Lord and, unlike their more common meetinghouses, places where devout members participate in their highest religious rites such as eternal marriage.
