Latter-day Saint prophet announces 17 new temples, including 10th temple in Idaho in Coeur d’Alene
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Sean Walker, KSL.com
SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — During the final session Sunday of the 194th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced 17 new temples to be built around the world, including one in Coeur d’Alene, which will be the faith’s 10th temple in Idaho.
New temples will be built in the following locations:
- Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico
- Santa Ana, El Salvador
- Medellín, Colombia
- Santiago, Dominican Republic
- Puerto Montt, Chile
- Dublin, Ireland
- Milan, Italy
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Kampala, Uganda
- Maputo, Mozambique
- Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Queen Creek, Arizona
- El Paso, Texas
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Summit, New Jersey
- Price, Utah
The newly announced temples bring the total number across the earth to 367, including including those that are dedicated, scheduled to be dedicated, under construction or under renovations.
“My dear brothers and sisters, do we see what is happening right before our eyes?” President Nelson said. “I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening his work.”
According to a church news release, more than 475,000 Latter-day Saints live in Idaho, worshipping in more than 1,200 congregations. This will be the faith’s first temple in northern Idaho.
Other temples that are operating or under construction in the state include the Boise Idaho Temple, Burley Idaho Temple, Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, Meridian Idaho Temple, Montpelier Idaho Temple, Pocatello Idaho Temple, Rexburg Idaho Temple, Teton River Idaho Temple and Twin Falls Idaho Temple.
Coeur d’Alene has a population of more than 50,000 people, the release stated, and the church also has a temple in Spokane, Washington.
“Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace?” President Nelson asked during his announcement. “Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord!”
President Nelson has announced 185 temples since 2018, more than half of all temples in the church. He also announced extensive renovations to the Salt Lake Temple, which will be finished by the end of the 2026 calendar year, according to the most recent projections.
“We build temples to honor the Lord,” President Nelson during the rededication of the Manti Utah Temple in April. “They are built for worship and not for show. We make sacred covenants of eternal significance inside these sacred walls.”
First-time temples in regions include the newly announced edifices in New Jersey, which is home to 35,000 Latter-day Saints in over 60 congregations; Wiscsonsin, home to more than 28,000 Latter-day Saints in more than 65 congregations; Uganda, which boasts more than 22,000 Latter-day Saints in close to 40 congregations; Ireland, where close to 4,000 church members reside in 13 congregations; and southern Chile, where the Puerto Montt temple will join temples in Santiago, Antofagasta, Concepción, Santiago West and Viña del Mar.
