MEXICO CITY — After rededicating the Mexico City Mexico Temple on Sunday, President Henry B. Eyring had simple, heartfelt counsel for Mexican Latter-day Saints: Just stay the course.
“The [Mexican members] don’t have to do anything different from what they are doing,” he said. “They have tremendous faith and they are going to do great work here.”
Mexico has proven to be a power for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than a million Mormons live here. And tens of thousands frequently worship in one of Mexico’s 12 temples. But many say the nation’s first temple — built with Mayan-influenced architecture in this sprawling capital city — remains a unique edifice.
“This temple offers us all we really need in life,” said Jorge A. Rojas, a veteran LDS leader in Mexico.
Rojas remembers attending the groundbreaking of the Mexico City Temple in 1979, and then returning four years later for its dedication. He and his wife, Marcella, live in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey. But he said attending the rededication Sunday was a must.
Originally opened in 1983, the Mexico City Temple was closed for almost two years to allow for its more recent renovation. (President Thomas S. Monson rededicated the temple for the first time in 2008.) The recent changes focused primarily on upgrading interior features. Highlights include a new carpet carved with a Mesoamerican design in the celestial room and doors crafted from oak and cast bronze.
Mormons from the Mexico City Temple district say they’ve been blessed during the refurbishing. Other temples in Mexico are relatively close and accessible and many were able to attend with some frequency. Still, the reopening of the temple in Mexico City was cause for rejoicing.
“The Mexico City Temple is a part of me,” said 23-year-old Dario Gomez. “I grew up with this temple.”
President Eyring presided Sunday over the three dedicatory sessions. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles joined him. Other general authorities in attendance were Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy and the Mexico area presidency: Elder Benjamin De Hoyos, Elder Paul B. Pieper and Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela.
President Eyring said he won’t soon forget this key moment for the church in Mexico.
“This was one of the great days of my life,” he said following the dedication. “You could feel remarkable faith and goodness of the people. Just being with them was a thrill.”
On the eve of the temple dedication, President Eyring, Elder Holland and the other leaders attended a pageant created for the rededication in Mexico City’s Metropolitan Theater. Titled “A Legacy of Faith and Sacrifice,” the pageant celebrated the nation’s rich history of song and dance while telling the story of the church’s beginnings and remarkable growth in Mexico.
“Tonight is our opportunity to honor the great people who have been pioneers of the church [in Mexico],” said President Eyring in brief remarks prior to the pageant.
jswensen@deseretnews.com @JNSwensen