Asunción Paraguay Temple
Encyclopedia
The Asunción Paraguay Temple is the 112th operating temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

On April 2, 2000 an announcement was made that the LDS Church was planning to build a temple in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

. Although there were already eleven other dedicated temples in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, the Asunción Temple was the first temple to be built in Paraguay. The Asunción Temple will serve more than 68,000 members in the area.

In 1949 Paraguay was officially opened to Mormon missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...

 under the mission headquartered in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

. In 1977 Paraguay became its own mission area and soon after converts to the LDS Church began to increase. The average number of baptisms per year in Paraguay up to that time had been just over 200. In the year following the announcement 400 people were baptized into the Church. Currently, there are approximately more than 152,000 Mormon members in Paraguay.

On February 3, 2001 the site for the Asunción Paraguay Temple was dedicated and a groundbreaking ceremony was held. Despite it being a rainy, cloudy day, many members came to be a part of the building of the temple. An open house was held Saturday May 4-11, 2002. This allowed Mormons and those not of the Mormon faith to see the inside of the temple and learn more about what takes place inside. On Sunday May 19, 2002 four dedicatory sessions were held allowing all those members who wanted to attend the opportunity to be present at the dedication of the temple. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...

 gave the dedicatory prayer.

The Asunción Paraguay Temple has a total of 10700 square feet (994.1 m²), two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.

See also


External links

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