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Fortaleza Brazil Temple

Then Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, announced that a temple would be built in Fortaleza, Brazil, during the Saturday morning session of the 179th semi-annual General Conference on 3 October 2009.

The Church has been in Brazil since 1929 and currently has over 1.3 million members spread throughout more than 2,000 congregations in the country. As of 1 January 2016, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 1,326,738 members in 256 stakes and 39 districts, 2,038 Congregations (1,593 wards and 445 branches), 34 missions, and six temples in Brazil. There are 13 stakes in the immediate vicinity of Fortaleza. Members currently travel nearly 500 miles to attend the Recife Brazil Temple, which serves over 80 stakes and districts in northern Brazil. President Monson said, "We desire that as many members as possible have the opportunity to attend the temple without having to travel inordinate distances."^[1]

The Fortaleza Brazil Temple is the seventh temple built in Brazil. In addition to the Fortaleza and Recife temples, other Latter-day Saint temples in Brazil are located in Manaus, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre. Additional temples have been announced or are under construction in Belém, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador.

The 8.75-acre site is located at Avenida Santos Dumont Esq Rua Mal. Mascarenhas Morais, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, on a small rise, offering patrons and visitors a lovely view of the beautiful coastal city of Fortaleza below. In addition to the temple, the site also includes meticulously manicured temple grounds, where visitors are welcome to stroll and experience the peaceful atmosphere that permeates this place of worship. The Fortaleza Brazil Temple stands in the beautiful coastal neighborhood of Dunas on a site located across from the esteemed FANOR, an institute of higher education. With Fortaleza as the capital of the state of Ceará, it is fitting that the temple’s exterior is covered with Branco Ceará granite quarried near the temple. The domed single spire rises over 100 feet high and is topped with the gilded statue of the ancient prophet Moroni.

According to LDSChurchTemples.com, the Fortaleza Brazil Temple "is a highly detailed edifice with a single-domed tower surrounded by lush landscaping and built into a gently rising slope, offering beautiful views of the city. Plans for the site also call for a meetinghouse, an arrival center, and apartments for those serving in the temple.

The original double-tower design of the temple was denied due to nonconformance to the city plan, leading to the decision to redesign.

History of the Church in Brazil

The first members of the Church in Brazil were immigrants who had joined the Church in their native Germany before moving to Brazil. Missionaries arrived in 1928 but due to the prohibition on ordaining men of African descent to the Priesthood, they were instructed to only work with German people living in the southern part of the country. When the Brazilian government outlawed the use of non-Portuguese languages in public meetings in 1938, the mission switched from the German language mission to a Portuguese speaking one. One of the early missionaries in Brazil, serving in 1939, was James E. Faust.

The first stake in Brazil was organized by Spencer W. Kimball in 1966 in Sao Paulo. This was the first stake in all of South America.

In 1967, the policy on race and the priesthood was changed such that dark-skinned people were presumed eligible for the priesthood by default unless there was specific evidence of African descent.

In 1978, the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple was completed. The opening of the temple in Sao Paulo may have influenced the Church's decision to reverse the ban on men of African descent from holding the priesthood due to difficulty in determining racial origins of many Brazilian church members.

Groundbraking Ceremony

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the temple site on Tuesday, 15 November 2011. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the ceremony and assured those gathered that "this temple will be a source of hope, light, and faith in God for all who come and walk here and in this field. This city will always be better and different because of the temple to be built here."^[2]

Stake presidencies, bishops and their family members from 15 stakes in the Fortaleza region were invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at the temple site. During the days prior and following the groundbreaking, Elder Bednar presided and spoke at a variety of Church meetings including the Fortaleza Brazil Benfica Stake Conference, a missionary conference, and firesides for Young Single Adults and married couples.

Missions in Brazil

Open House and Temple Dedication Dates Announced

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced dates for the opening of Brazil's seventh temple and the 165th temple in the world. The open house for the Fortaleza Brazil Temple is scheduled for 27 April through 18 May 2019, except for Sundays, 28 April 28, 5 May and 12 May. The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, 2 June 2019, and a devotional for the youth will be held on the day before on 1 June 2019.

External Resources

• Mark L. Grover, "The Church in Brazil: The Future has Finally Arrived", Liahona, July 2014

• Country Information: Brazil

• Brazil: Facts and Statistics

• Mormon Newsroom Brazil

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Brazil) - Official Website

• Livro de Mórmon: Outro Testamento de Jesus Cristo

References

Videos of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple