President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced 15 new temples today including two in the Pacific Area.
DOWNLOADTemples will be constructed in Uturoa, French Polynesia and Brisbane Australia South Area.
Uturoa, French Polynesia
The Uturoa French Polynesia Temple will be the second house of the Lord in French Polynesia. The Papeete Tahiti Temple was dedicated in 1983 and was rededicated in 2006 following an expansion.
In 1843, missionaries set sail from the North Atlantic to Tahiti. The Prophet Joseph Smith and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called four missionaries to take the gospel “unto the islands of the sea” in the Pacific. The Pacific Area is celebrating the 180th anniversary of the missionaries’ arrival this month.
There are nearly 30,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 100 congregations in French Polynesia.
Brisbane Australia South Area
Brisbane is the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, located in the northeastern part of the country, with a population of roughly 2.2 million.
It will be the second temple in Brisbane, following the dedication of the Brisbane Australia Temple in June 2003, and the sixth in the country. Other temples are the Adelaide Australia Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, Perth Australia Temple and Sydney Australia Temple.
The first congregation was organized in Australia in 1844, followed by a mission created in 1851. In the 1960s, stakes (similar to a diocese) were organized in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. They were among the first organized outside of North America.
Today, there are more than 155,000 Church members in more than 300 congregations in the country.
Read the entire list of new temples and more information here.