Feature photo by Rory Wallwork can be found here – Pocatello Temple – Sunset Glow

It’s been an inspiring General Conference weekend full of teaching and testimonies of Christ and the Gospel. And as any member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knows, General Conference usually brings about an exciting announcement or two. On that note, during General Conference President Nelson announced 13 new temples that will be built!

The 13 new temples will be built in the following locations:

Fort Worth, Texas
Cody, Wyoming
Rexburg North, Idaho
Heber Valley, Utah
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Tacloban City, Philippines
Monrovia, Liberia
Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Culiacán, México
Vitória, Brazil
La Paz, Bolivia
Santiago West, Chile

President Russell M. Nelson also announced that following the dedication of the Orem Utah Temple (which will probably take place in the next couple of years), reconstruction will begin on the Provo Utah Temple. There’s no additional information at this time, but it’s our guess that it will be completely overhauled just like the Ogden Temple was years ago.

During the last General Conference in April, President Nelson announced that 20 new temples would be built. Today’s announcement wasn’t quite that high, but it’s still a wonderful number of temples that will be built around the world. During the short four years that the prophet has been president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he has announced 83 new temples!

These thirteen new temples will bring the total number of temples that are operating, under construction, or announced to 265 temples worldwide! There are currently 160 temples in operation, 35 under construction, and 41 announced. The Pocatello Temple will be dedicated on November 7, 2021, and the public open house is currently taking place. After extensive renovations and a major delay due to Covid, the Mesa Temple will finally be rededicated on December 12, 2021, and the public open house begins on October 16th. And the rededication of the Washington DC Temple will take place next summer on June 19, 2022. Other temples in the United States that are currently being renovated are the Salt Lake Temple, the St. George Utah Temple, the Manti Utah Temple, and the Columbus Ohio Temple.

And finally, here is some additional information about the locations of each of the new temples:

Fort Worth, Texas

The Fort Worth Texas Temple will be the sixth temple for The Lone Star State. There are more than 360,000 Latter-day Saints in Texas. Fort Worth, located west of Dallas in north central Texas in the United States, is historically known for its cattle trade. Other Texas temples are the neighboring Dallas Texas Temple, Houston Texas Temple, Lubbock Texas Temple, San Antonio Texas Temple and McAllen Texas Temple (under construction). Missionary work began in Texas in 1843.

Cody, Wyoming

One in every nine residents of Wyoming, or approximately 68,000 people, claim membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This will be the state’s third temple. Other temples are the Casper Wyoming Temple and Star Valley Wyoming Temple. Wyoming has a significant place in the history of the Church, as pioneers traveled across the state in their westward migration to Utah, primarily from the 1840s to the 1860s. Cody is on the northwestern corner of Wyoming near the border of Montana in the United States.

Rexburg North, Idaho

The Rexburg North Idaho Temple will be the eighth temple in Idaho. Idaho is home to more than 460,000 members of the Church in nearly 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.

Heber Valley, Utah

Heber Valley is in Utah’s Wasatch County, about 40 miles from Salt Lake City. The rural mountain valley is close to world-renowned ski resorts and several state parks. The temple in Heber Valley will be the 28th temple in Utah either in operation, renovation, under construction or announced.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Located in southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s third most populous city, with more than 2.75 million residents. The Kaohsiung Taiwan Temple will be Taiwan’s second sacred building. The country’s first house of the Lord, the Taipei Taiwan Temple, was dedicated in 1984. Today, there are more than 61,000 Latter-day Saints who attend around 110 congregations across the special municipality.

Tacloban City, Philippines

There are more than 805,000 Latter-day Saints in over 1,225 congregations in the Philippines. Tacloban is in the Eastern Visayas region of the country. The city was hit by a deadly typhoon in 2013, but Latter-day Saints and their friends came together to rebuild homes and revitalize the area. This will be the eighth temple in the country. There are two operating temples in the Philippines and five others announced or under construction.

Monrovia, Liberia

This will be the first temple in Liberia. The country has around 15,000 Latter-day Saints and more than 50 congregations. Monrovia is a coastal city and the capital of Liberia. Missionary work began in the country in 1987.

Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo

This will be the third temple in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other temples announced or in operation are the Lubumbashi Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple and the Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple. The first missionaries in the country arrived in 1986. The country is now home to more than 68,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 200 congregations.

Antananarivo, Madagascar

Madagascar is home to nearly 13,000 Latter-day Saints in over 40 congregations. The Antananarivo Madagascar Temple will be the first temple in the country. Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar and home to more than 1.4 million people. The Church has been in Madagascar since 1993.

Culiacán, México

This will be the 17th temple in the country. Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico and has a population of around 850,000 people. Mexico is home to 1.5 million Latter-day Saints and around 1,850 congregations, more than any other country outside the United States.

Vitória, Brazil

Vitória is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo. It is located on a small island within a bay where several rivers meet the sea in southeast Brazil. The coastal community has two major ports. The temple in Vitória will be the 14th announced temple for Brazil, with dedicated temples located in Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife and São Paulo. One temple is completed and preparing to be dedicated in Rio de Janeiro; three are under construction in Belém, Brasília and Salvador; and others have been announced in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo East.

La Paz, Bolivia

This will be the third temple in Bolivia, where there are more than 212,000 members. The Cochabamba Bolivia Temple was dedicated in 2000 by President Gordon B. Hinckley, and the Santa Cruz Bolivia Temple was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in 2020. The temple will serve members in the cities of La Paz and El Alto, where the Church has seen significant growth.

Santiago West, Chile

The Santiago West Chile Temple will be the country’s third temple. The Santiago Chile Temple was dedicated 1983 and the Concepción Chile Temple in 2018. There are more than 600,000 Latter-day Saints in Chile in over 500 congregations. Santiago is the capital and largest city in Chile with a population of nearly 7 million residents.