17 new temple locations announced by President Nelson to close conference

Walking out of the Conference Center, Carlos Ramirez could hardly contain his excitement as he contemplated three global locations of personal significance.

• Cusco, a city not far from his family roots in Lima, Peru.
• Benemérito, the site of the Missionary Training Center in Mexico where he lived as a Latter-day Saint missionary a few years ago.
• Knoxville, Tennessee, where Ramirez served temporarily for six months during his mission.

The trio of locations are now part of a list where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will build new temples in the coming years.

Plans to build 17 new temples in eight countries worldwide were announced by President Russell M. Nelson on Sunday at the end of the 192nd Annual General Conference.

“This is just an amazing day,” Ramirez said. “When I heard Cusco I was jumping out of my seat. I wished I could shout ... but I was so grateful for that. ... I’m astounded that they are going to build a temple at Benemérito. ... It will be much closer than taking the bus to Mexico City. ... It’s going to make a big difference in Knoxville. There are so many faithful saints there.”

This brings the total number of temples announced by President Nelson to 100.

The new temples will be built in the following locations:

• Wellington, New Zealand.
• Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
• Barcelona, Spain.
• Birmingham, United Kingdom.
• Cusco, Peru.
• Maceió, Brazil.
• Santos, Brazil.
• San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
• Mexico City Benemérito, Mexico.
• Tampa, Florida.
• Knoxville, Tennessee.
• Cleveland, Ohio.
• Wichita, Kansas.
• Austin, Texas.
• Missoula, Montana.
• Montpelier, Idaho.
• Modesto, California.

“Those 17 temples will bless countless lives on both sides of the veil,” President Nelson said.

With this latest announcement, the church now has 282 total temples worldwide in operation, under construction or renovation, or announced, according to the church’s newsroom.

Temple reaction from the Conference Center

Ramirez wasn’t the only one with tender feelings for multiple new temples.

Matt and Linda Johnson, of San Bernardino, California, live close to the Redlands temple and future Yorba Linda temple, but they were thankful to learn a new temple is coming to Modesto. They also have a son who lives in Austin, Texas, and they appreciated that news. Tears of joy began to flow for the couple as they considered the global expansion of temples.

“It’s overwhelming, but in a positive way,” Matt Johnson said. “To me it’s further evidence to me that he (President Nelson) is a prophet of God and the Lord loves all his children so he’s going to bring the temple to all of them as much as possible. To see that coming to fruition is just incredible. Our hearts are full. Great conference.”

Leonardo Cruz and his 13-year-old daughter Cadence celebrated the new temples in Mexico — San Luis Potosí and Mexico City Benemérito. Cruz is a native of Mexico City.

“My heart was overwhelmed,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful.”

“This will help a lot of people come closer to God,” his daughter said.

Before Bruce Curtis moved to Cedar Hills, Utah, he and his family lived for 13 years in Tampa, Florida, a few decades ago. A family member had also served as a missionary in Brazil, so he was they were thrilled for Latter-day Saints in Maceió and Santos.

“It’s just crazy,” he said. “It’s exciting to hear that church is growing all over the place.”

Curtis didn’t anticipate a temple being built in Tampa because of its proximity to Orlando, where a temple already stands.

“It’s just wonderful for the saints and all of our friends that are still there,” Curtis said.

Julie Edwards, a Latter-day Saint who has Montana roots, shared her reaction to the Missoula temple news in a Facebook post.

“Our family is so excited about the news that a temple will be built in Missoula!” she wrote. “What a blessing for the faithful saints who first drove to Idaho Falls, to Billings, and then to Spokane to the temple. How grateful I am for those families that came to the Bitterroot Valley and stayed!”

Twitter reaction to temple news

Several people reacted to the temple news on social media.

President Nelson and 100 temples

Before Sunday, President Nelson had announced 83 new temples since becoming the president of the church in 2018.

• Seven in April 2018.
• 12 in October 2018.
• Eight in April 2019.
• Eight in October 2019.
• Eight in April 2020.
• Six in October 2020.
• 20 in April 2021.
• One in May 2021.
• 13 in October 2021.

At that time in 2018, the church had a total of 159 operating temples. Another 23 had been announced or were under construction.

Now, the church has 170 operating temples with 46 under construction. Another 49 have been announced and are in various stages of planning.

Learn more about each temple location

The following information is provided by the church’s newsroom:

• Wellington, New Zealand: “This will be New Zealand’s third temple and the first temple on the South Island. The Auckland New Zealand Temple is under construction and the Hamilton New Zealand Temple is completing renovation. The first New Zealand converts to the Church of Jesus Christ were baptized in 1853. Shortly afterward, missionary work began — including among the native Māori people. Around 115,000 Latter-day Saints live in New Zealand.”
• Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo: “Brazzaville is the capital and largest city in the Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo, not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo, has over 8,000 members in 29 congregations and the Church has been present in the country since 1990. This will be the nation’s first temple. The temple there will make access to the house of the Lord so much easier for the faithful members of this central African nation. The Church is growing rapidly in the entire region. There are three temples in the neighbouring country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the first temple dedicated in Kinshasa (DRC) just three years ago and two additional temples in the DRC announced since then. The Lubumbashi temple was announced in April 2020, and the Kananga temple was announced in October 2021. The Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple, was dedicated in April 2019.”
• Barcelona, Spain: “There are more than 61,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ in Spain. This will be Spain’s second temple. The Madrid Spain Temple was dedicated in 1999. The first Spanish Latter-day Saint joined the Church around 1870. The Church was recognized by Spain’s government in 1968 when missionary work officially began in the country. Today, the church has about 135 congregations in Spain.”
• Birmingham, England: “There are more than 190,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ in the United Kingdom. A temple in Birmingham will be Great Britain’s third. The London England Temple was the first (dedicated in 1958), followed by the Preston England Temple (dedicated in 1998). Missionaries arrived in England in 1837, only seven years after the Church was established. England is home to the oldest continuous congregation of the Church. Today, the Church has 325 congregations in the United Kingdom.”
• Cusco, Peru: “The Cusco Peru Temple will be the fifth temple in Peru. The country is home to approximately 625,000 Latter-day Saints spread throughout more than 775 congregations. Cusco is in the southeastern part of the country and was the capital of the Inca Empire. The first missionaries arrived in the country in 1956. More than 32 million people live in Peru. Other temples in operation or under construction include the Arequipa Peru Temple, Lima Peru Temple, Trujillo Peru Temple and Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple.”
• Maceió, Brazil: “Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. Many tourists visit this port city to see its natural attractions and enjoy its cultural diversity. There are 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil in more than 2,100 congregations. The temple in Maceió will be the 15th announced temple for Brazil, with dedicated temples located in Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife and São Paulo. One temple (Rio de Janeiro) is completed and preparing to be dedicated in by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on May 8, 2022. Three other temples are under construction in Belém, Brasília and Salvador. Additional temples have been announced in Belo Horizonte, East São Paulo and Vitória.”
• Santos, Brazil: “Santos is a southeastern port city in the state of São Paulo. There are 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in Brazil in more than 2,100 congregations. The temple in Santos will be the 16th announced temple for Brazil, with dedicated temples located in Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife and São Paulo. One temple (in Rio de Janeiro) is completed and preparing to be dedicated by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on May 8, 2022. Three other temples are under construction in Belém, Brasília and Salvador. Additional temples have been announced in Belo Horizonte, East São Paulo, Maceio (announced today) and Vitória.”
• San Luis Potosí, Mexico: “San Luis Potosí is the capital and the most populous city of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí in central Mexico. It is one of the area’s main industrial centers. More than 1 million people reside in the area, making it one of the largest metropolitan centers in Mexico. This will be the 18th temple in the country. The other 17 temples in Mexico are the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple, Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple, Culiacán Mexico Temple, Guadalajara Mexico Temple, Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple, Mérida Mexico Temple, Mexico City Mexico Temple, Monterrey Mexico Temple, Oaxaca Mexico Temple, Puebla Mexico Temple, Querétaro Mexico Temple, Tampico Mexico Temple, Tijuana Mexico Temple, Torreón Mexico Temple, Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple, Veracruz Mexico Temple and Villahermosa Mexico Temple.”
• Mexico City Benemérito, Mexico: “This will be the 19th temple in Mexico and second in Mexico City. The Benemérito grounds have a rich history for Mexican Latter-day Saints. Founded in 1964 by The Church of Jesus Christ, El Centro Escolar Benemérito de las Américas was a high school until 2013 when it was converted to serve as a Missionary Training Center for Spanish-language missionaries. The campus is located about 10 miles from the Mexico City Temple. Nearly 9 million people reside in Mexico City alone making it one of the largest in Latin America. The country is home to 1.5 million Latter-day Saints in more than 1,800 congregations. Missionary work began in Mexico in 1875. The other 18 temples in Mexico are the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple, Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple, Culiacán Mexico Temple, Guadalajara Mexico Temple, Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple, Mérida Mexico Temple, Mexico City Mexico Temple, Monterrey Mexico Temple, Oaxaca Mexico Temple, Puebla Mexico Temple, Querétaro Mexico Temple, San Luis Potosí (announced today), Tampico Mexico Temple, Tijuana Mexico Temple, Torreón Mexico Temple, Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple, Veracruz Mexico Temple and Villahermosa Mexico Temple.”
• Tampa, Florida: “Located in Central Florida, the Tampa Florida Temple will be the state’s fourth. There are more than 160,000 Latter-day Saints and some 260 congregations in the state. Other temples in operation or under construction are the Orlando Florida Temple, Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple and Tallahassee Florida Temple.”
• Knoxville, Tennessee: “Knoxville is situated on the Tennessee River in the eastern part of the state. The Knoxville Temple will be the third for the Southeastern state. The first, the Memphis Tennessee Temple, and the second, the Nashville Tennessee Temple, were dedicated in 2000. Missionary work first began in 1834. Today, there are around 53,000 Latter-day Saints in over 100 congregations in Tennessee.”
• Cleveland, Ohio: “Cleveland is located along the southern shore of Lake Erie and is located about 20 miles from the church’s first temple in Kirtland. The temple in Kirkland was dedicated in 1836, and the property is owned by the Community of Christ. This will be the state’s second temple. The Columbus Ohio Temple was dedicated in September 1999. There are more than 6,000 Latter-day Saints in approximately 125 congregations in Ohio.”
• Wichita, Kansas: “This will be the state’s first temple. There are more than 38,000 Latter-day Saints in about 75 congregations in Kansas, a state located near the center of the United States. Wichita is the most populous city in the state. Missionaries first taught the native Shawnee and Delaware people in the Kansas area in 1831. The first branch (a small congregation) was organized in 1882 in the central part of the state, east of Salina.”
• Austin, Texas: “The Austin Texas Temple will be the seventh temple for the Lone Star State. There are more than 362,000 Latter-day Saints in Texas. Austin is the Texas state capital. Other temples in Texas are the Dallas Texas Temple, Fort Worth Texas Temple, Houston Texas Temple, Lubbock Texas Temple, San Antonio Texas Temple and McAllen Texas Temple. Missionary work began in Texas in 1843. In 1898, land was purchased that eventually became the East Texas colony of Kelsey, composed of 300 Church members.”
• Missoula, Montana: “Montana, located in the Western United States and bordering Canada, is home to more than 50,000 Latter-day Saints and more than 125 congregations. The Missoula Montana Temple will be the third temple for the state. The first, the Billings Montana Temple, was dedicated in November 1999. The Helena Montana Temple was announced in April 2021.”
• Montpelier, Idaho: “Montpelier, Idaho, is a community of around 2,500 people located just north of Bear Lake along the southeastern Idaho border. 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. Other temples in the state are the Twin Falls Idaho Temple, Boise Idaho Temple, Burley Idaho Temple, Idaho Falls Temple, Meridian Idaho Temple, Pocatello Idaho Temple, Rexburg Idaho Temple and Rexburg North Idaho Temple.”
• Modesto, California: “Modesto (Spanish for modest) is known for its rich agricultural history. This will be the 10th temple in California. This city in the Central Valley is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County. California has more than 755,000 Latter-day Saints in over 1,200 congregations. Other temples in the state are the Feather River, Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento, San Diego and Yorba Linda Temples.”