McAllen Texas Temple

On 5 October 2020, during the 189th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the McAllen Texas Temple.

The McAllen Texas Temple is a 27,897–square foot single-story building with a central spire. A meetinghouse of over 19,000 square feet is adjacent to the temple, featuring space for three wards, a Stake suite, mission offices, and a distribution center. The temple has two ordinance rooms (stationary) and two sealing rooms.

On 11 December 2019, the location of the McAllen Texas Temple was announced. The temple would be constructed on a 10.61-acre site located northwest of the intersection of Second Street and West Trenton Road on the north side of McAllen, Texas.

On 28 August 2020, an official exterior rendering of the McAllen Texas Temple was released. The design of the temple is inspired by citrus crops grown in and around McAllen, as well as Spanish colonial architecture found in the area. Among the patterns featured are citrus blossoms, barbed quatrefoils, scrolls, and ribbons.

This is the 183rd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the fifth temple built in the state of Texas. This temple is the first in the Rio Grande Valley, which saw Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saint missionaries in the area as early as the 1920s. In 1990, there were more than 154,000 Latter-day Saints in the state. Today, Texas is home to over 385,000 members of the Church.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for McAllen Texas Temple

Elder Art Rascon, an Area Seventy, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the McAllen Texas Temple held on November 21, 2020. In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Rascon expressed gratitude for the many thousands of Latter-day Saints “in this lovely valley in southern Texas and across the border into Mexico who have worked faithfully to establish Thy kingdom and prepared their hearts and minds awaiting this day. Their faith, patience, and perseverance in the midst of many afflictions have made the miracle of this day possible. We thank Thee, Heavenly Father, for their long-suffering, fervent prayers and continued diligence to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” He added, “As the central spire rises heavenward to this beautiful house of the Lord, might we as God’s children ever increase our faith and look to the heavens for wisdom and not to the ever-shifting values of the world. This temple will bring us closer to God.”[1]

Open House

Beginning August 21, 2023, media and invited guests are welcomed into the sacred building for special tours. They will be hosted by members of the Area Presidency of the North America Southwest region — Elder Jose L. Alonso and Elder Michael A. Dunn — and Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Temple Department Executive Committee.

The doors will be opened to other invited guests for the next three days. Immediately following, a public open house will be held for two weeks, running from Friday, August 25, through Saturday, September 9, 2023, excluding Sundays. All are invited to attend.

Inside the temple, soft-gold broadloom carpet is used in the general areas and instruction rooms, with wall-to-wall wool rugs featured in the celestial and sealing rooms. Area rugs are filled with vibrant blues, golds and greens — reminiscent of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas; the nearby Gulf of Mexico; and other landscape elements in the state.

On the ceilings of ordinance spaces, the bride’s room, hallways, the entryway, waiting areas and the celestial room, decorative painting patterns are featured.

The doors into the celestial room, sealing rooms, baptistry and confirmation room, in addition to a large viewing window into the baptistry font area, are adorned with art glass. The doors of the temple are made of mahogany and the door hardware is bronze with an antique bronze finish. The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the dedication and open house dates for the McAllen Texas Temple.

Dedication

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the McAllen Texas Temple on Sunday, October 8, 2023, in two sessions. He was accompanied to the dedicatory services by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf. Also participating were Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella, a General Authority Seventy, and Sister Elaine Finholdt Parrella; Elder Jose L. Alonso, a General Authority Seventy, and Sister Rebecca Salazar Alonso; and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric and Sister Carol S. Waddell. Michael Suhaka, Temple Department Managing Director, and his wife, Sheri Suhaka also attended.

Prior to the dedication, Elder and Sister Uchtdorf visited the U.S.-Mexico border with Elder and Sister Alonso — looking upon the wall that is a “symbol of division,” said Elder Uchtdorf.

In speaking about the McAllen Texas Temple, Elder Uchtdorf emphasized that the gospel connects and unites in a world filled with walls and divisions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he explained, is available to all, regardless of language, cultural background or socioeconomic circumstances.

“The spreading of the restored gospel did not stop at political or social boundaries; it expanded on both sides of the Rio Grande,” he said.

The temple's design features Spanish colonial architecture and citrus blossoms, a nod to the area’s climate that nurtures some of the nation’s sweetest oranges and grapefruit, locals say. Additionally, blue colors used in the design connect to both bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, and the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

The Feather River California Temple was dedicated the same day.