Curitiba Brazil Temple
The Curitiba Brazil Temple is the 125th announced temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Mormon Church has had a presence in Brazil since the 1920's. During that time, most of the converts were German immigrants who came to Brazil after World War I They were settled in a town called Ipomeia, in the state of Santa Catarina.In 1923, Robert Lippelt and his wife Augusta arrived in Brazil. Then Augusta asked the Church Headquarters to send them LDS literature. Consequently, Reinhold Stoff, who was the South America Mission President in Buenos Aires, Argentina, went to visit Brazil. He took missionaries there in 1928 to teach the Restored Gospel to people in Santa Catarina who spoke German. The first converts joined the Church in Brazil in 1929. The first Mormon Church meetinghouse was erected in Joinville, Santa Catarina, in 1931. A Brazilian Mission was established in 1935, some church materials were translated into Portuguese in 1937 and the missionaries started teaching in Portuguese a year later. During World War II, the Mormon missionaries were removed from Brazil and at the conclusion of the war, they returned. From this point, the Brazilian natives began joining the Church by the hundreds, and in 2006, the membership continues to grow at a steady rate.
On August 23, 2002, the First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced the building of a temple in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. This will be the fifth temple in Brazil.
Church authorities met with city officials, including Mayor Beto Richa of Curitiba, in Feb 2005. Church authorities explained the significance of the temple for members of the Mormon Church. "In addition, the Church presented two Church programs: Helping Hands and the Perpetual Education Fund. The mayor expressed his appreciation for the service provided through Helping Hands and stated that he wished more organizations demonstrated the same zeal for volunteer service as does the [Mormon] Church." [1] Church authorities presented Mayor Richa with a statue that represented family ties.
The Curitiba Brazil Temple will sit on a tract of land located in the Campo Comprido (Long Plain/Field) district and is projected to be completed in 2008. The Temple will serve more than 42,000 worthy members of the Mormon Church and includes members from the Brazilian states of Parana and Santa Catarina.
Ground was broken for the Curitiba Brazil Temple on March 10, 2005.
The First Presidency has announced the dates for the public open house and dedication of the Curitiba Brazil Temple. The open house will be held from Saturday, May 10 to Saturday, May 24, 2008 (excluding Sundays and Monday evenings). The temple will be dedicated in four sessions on June 1, 2008. A cultural celebration will be held the evening before the dedication.
Notes
- www.lds.org: Curitiba Brazil Temple
Temples in Brazil
- Belém Brazil Temple
- Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple
- Brasília Brazil Temple
- Campinas Brazil Temple
- Curitiba Brazil Temple
- Florianópolis Brazil Temple
- Fortaleza Brazil Temple
- Goiânia Brazil Temple
- João Pessoa Brazil Temple
- Londrina Brazil Temple
- Maceió Brazil Temple
- Manaus Brazil Temple
- Natal Brazil Temple
- Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
- Recife Brazil Temple
- Ribeirão Preto Brazil Temple
- Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple
- Salvador Brazil Temple
- São Paulo Brazil Temple
- São Paulo East Brazil Temple
- Santos Brazil Temple
- Teresina Brazil Temple
- Vitória Brazil Temple
