Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple

On 6 April 2013, during the Saturday morning session of the 183rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced that a new temple would be constructed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple is the eighth temple built in Brazil. The first temple built in the country was completed in São Paulo in 1978. The São Paulo Brazil Temple was the Church's first not only in Brazil but on the South American continent. Since then more temples have been built and dedicated. The Salvador Brazil Temple and Belo Horizonteare under construction. Temples have been announced in Goiânia, João Pessoa Brazil, Londrina, Maceió, Natal, Ribeirão Preto, Santos, East São Paulo, Teresina, and Vitória.

Brazil has a population of nearly 200 million people, including more than 1.4 million members of the Church, with 277 stakes, more than 2,000 congregations (1,774 wards and 402 branches), 36 missions, and 40 districts.[1] Rio de Janeiro, the location of the 2016 Summer Olympics, is the second-largest city in Brazil and home to the famous Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor) statue.

Church members in Rio previously traveled approximately 300 miles (500 kilometers) to participate in temple ordinances at the Campinas Brazil Temple.

A Facebook video captures the reaction of members in the Rio de Janeiro Andaraí Stake Center to the temple announcement.

Temple Site

The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple and an adjoining meetinghouse are constructed on the property next to a nature reserve on Avenida das Américas in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. Barra is a beautiful development on the Atlantic Ocean that hosted most of the venues for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Rio de Janeiro Temple is located at Avenida das Américas, #8547, in Barra da Tijuca.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Saturday, 4 March 2017, for Brazil’s eighth announced temple, the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.

Elder Claudio R. M. Costa of the Seventy and Brazil Area President presided at the ceremony. Elder W. Mark Bassett of the Seventy and Second Counselor in the Area Presidency participated. During his remarks, Elder Costa commented, "Today is a historic day for the Church in this city and in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful city, a city that welcomes all with open arms like the Christ Statue. I am grateful to live in a country that champions religious freedom. We love our brothers of other faiths and we participate with them in humanitarian projects. We have good friends here.”

A First Look at the Rio de Janeiro Temple

The bride's room in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The baptistry in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The sealing room in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The celestial room in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The angel Moroni is atop the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
A foyer in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
Local décor is in the details of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
Local décor is in the details of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The bride's room in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The recommend desk in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
An instruction room in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.
A hallway in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple with paintings of Jesus Christ and other beautiful scenes.
The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple.

Open House and Dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple

In response to government guidelines that sought to limit the spread of COVID-19, the public open house and dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple were postponed until large public gatherings were deemed safe. Originally, the open house was to be held Friday, 17 April through Saturday, 2 May 2020. Nearly 21 months after releasing a schedule for the open house and dedication of the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, the First Presidency announced a new open house and temple dedication schedule.

Media day was held Monday, 21 March 2022; invited guests toured from Tuesday, 22 March 2022, through Friday, 25 March 2022. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy, hosted the tours for invited guests. A public open house was held Saturday, 26 March 2022, through Saturday, 16 April 2022, except 27 March, 2-3 April, and 10 April 10.

The youth devotional was held Saturday, 7 May 2022. The youth devotional and dedicatory sessions were broadcast to all units in the Rio de Janeiro Brazil temple district.

Elder Soares is a native of Brazil. As a young man, he served a two-year mission for the Church in Rio de Janeiro. He commented, "Rio de Janeiro has a special place in my heart because my wife and I served as missionaries there when we were young. What a beautiful thing it is to see the beloved place where we labored as young people now be ready to have a dedicated temple."

He further commented, "I feel honored, happy and humbled by the opportunity to participate in the open house for the Rio de Janeiro temple. This city is an icon in Brazil and has drawn visitors from all over the world. It is significant to me that the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands over Rio de Janeiro is, in most people’s minds, one of the most prominent emblems of Christianity in the world. What a beautiful new emblem of Christianity the people of Rio de Janeiro will soon have!"

Elder Soares also said, "I hope that those who come through the open house will feel the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for them and realize they can experience that same love as a constant in their life. I hope they can feel in their heart how precious life is and that as they learn a little bit about the plan of salvation, they catch a glimpse of the eternal happiness the plan of salvation offers us."

Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella added, "All temples are sacred and invite us to come to Christ and bind us to Him through ordinances and covenants." "What makes the open house of the Rio de Janeiro Temple so particular is that Rio is an international city, and it consequently attracts people from all the world and from different states in Brazil as well. This makes it possible for many people who would otherwise not be aware of and not have the chance, to visit the temple."

The Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple Is Dedicated

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, 8 May 2022.

He said, "Brazil now has eight temples and eight more on the way — either under construction or in the planning phase. Why? It's the people here. Members congregate together, and the Lord blesses those members with a temple."

He recalled the words of President Russell M. Nelson from four years ago when he said in general conference, "After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them."

As is customary during the first dedicatory session of a temple, the cornerstone of the temple was symbolically sealed by invited Church leaders, the new temple presidency and Primary children. Elder Stevenson said, "It is upon His foundation we are built. We can think of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of our hearts."

Elder Stevenson was joined by his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson; Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Sister Mônica Godoy; Elder Benjamin De Hoyos, General Authority Seventy; and Elder Joni L. Koch of the Brazil Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Michele Koch.

Elder Stevenson further commented that the temple is the Church's witness that Jesus Christ is indeed the Redeemer of the world. . . . temples are a symbol of Zion and the protection from the storm the Lord promises to those who build up the stakes of the Church.