Papeete Tahiti Temple
The Papeete Tahiti Temple is the 25th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The building of the Papeete Tahiti Temple was announced on April 2, 1980. Until its completion, members in Tahiti had to travel to New Zealand to attend a temple.
There is a lot of Latter-day Saint history in French Polynesia. The first Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in 1844. It was the first mission of the Church where missionaries would be teaching in a language other than English. Missionaries were able to find many who wanted to join the Church, but missionary work was stopped in 1852 when the government put restrictions on missionary work. Despite the slow missionary work, members in the area remained strong in the gospel and in 1891, the first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse was built in Takaroa. It is the oldest Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in the South Pacific. In 1892 governmental restrictions were removed and missionary work again went forward in the area.
Members in the area have been stalwart and loyal to the Church, and in 1976, President of the Church at the time, Spencer W. Kimball, announced that he would travel to Tahiti for a conference. Many Church members traveled days in small boats to attend the conference. One group of fifty people arrived a few days before the conference from the small island of Taenga. At the time, no one thought there were any members on the island. The group explained that the entire population of the island were members and that they had all traveled three days on a small schooner to Tahiti for the conference. Today eight percent of the total population of French Polynesia are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. In 2004 a large celebration was held for the 160th anniversary of the Church in French Polynesia. The Church is strongly supported in the area with many government dignitaries that have thanked members and leaders of the Church for their service to the people.
Groundbreaking, Open House, Dedication, and Rededication
A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the Papeete Tahiti Temple were held on February 13, 1981, with Spencer W. Kimball presiding. The temple was open for tours to the public from October 13-22, 1983. Those who toured the 9,936 square foot temple were able to see the two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, celestial room, baptistry, and other facilities of the temple used to carry out ordinances according to Latter-day Saint beliefs. The temple site is five acres. The exterior of the temple is finished in stucco using imported white sand and the grounds are beautifully landscaped.
The Papeete Tahiti Temple was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley in multiple sessions held October 27-29, 1983. At the time of its dedication, he temple served more than 21,000 members of the Church in six stakes of French Polynesia.
The Papeete Tahiti Temple was closed in August 2005 for an extensive expansion and remodeling project. With over 2,000 additional square feet, new rooms were added to the temple including a bride's room, waiting room for non-patrons, and additional office space; the baptistry and one of the sealing rooms were both enlarged; the mechanical and electrical systems were overhauled; and the interior was completely redecorated.[1]
After renovations the Tahiti Temple had a second open house from October 14 to November 4, 2006, and was rededicated on November 12, 2006, by Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in two sessions attended by approximately 10,000 Tahitians from six stakes and three districts. Services were transmitted to local stakes centers and also broadcast via the Church satellite system to Salt Lake City, New Caledonia, and to the BYU-Hawaii campus.
The grounds of the Papeete Tahiti Temple were expanded in 2009 after the Church acquired a large parcel of adjacent land, which permitted the addition of more parking and gardens, the straightening of the only access road, and a reconfiguration of the front entrance. These projects improved visibility of the temple as frontage along the main road greatly increased.[2]
