- 172nd dedicated temple in operation
Temple History[]
Bringing the blessings of the temple to the remote islands of Micronesia, President Russell M. Nelson announced the Yigo Guam Temple on October 7, 2018, during the last session of General Conference. The tiny island of Guam, a territory of the United States, sits in the western Pacific and boasts a population of 166,000 people. Missionaries from the Church first arrived in Guam in 1957, and membership has since grown to more than 2,500 Latter-day Saints.
The Yigo Guam Temple will be the first temple built in Micronesia. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Yigo Guam Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple and San Juan Puerto Rico Temple.
Construction[]
On February 24, 2019, the Yigo chapel was permanently closed for demolition. The site will be prepared for construction of the Yigo Guam Temple and a new meetinghouse located behind the temple.
Open House[]
The Yigo Guam Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens its doors to the public 4-14 May, 2022. The media toured the temple today, May 2, 2022. The new temple is in northeastern Guam, a U.S. territory located in the western Pacific Ocean. This is Guam’s first temple.
The temple will be dedicated on Sunday, May 22, in three sessions by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The dedicatory sessions will be held at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. A youth devotional will be held on Saturday, May 21, just prior to the dedication.[1]
Temple Features[]
The nearly 6,900-square-foot temple was built on about six acres of land on the northeastern portion of the island of Guam, adjacent to Andersen Air Force Base. The temple is surrounded by lush tropical trees and includes more than 100 flowering trees and hundreds of decorative shrubs.[2]
The temple has an end tower over the front entry facing east and features a beautiful blend of a natural Portuguese limestone called Moleanos. Beige stucco makes up the body of the temple and blends nicely with the limestone.
There are currently 282 temples worldwide that are announced, operating or under construction.
The Yigo Guam Temple will serve 9,600 members of the Church in Guam and the islands of Micronesia.
Ground was broken for the temple in 2019. The temple was announced in October 2018 by Church President Russell M. Nelson.
There are currently more than 2,500 Latter-day Saints in five congregations in Guam. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ have been in Guam since the 1940s, likely as part of the armed forces during World War II.
Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the house of the Lord and the most sacred places of worship on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities at local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples, however, is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.
Photo Gallery[]
Temple District[]
Micronesia[]
- Kosrae Micronesia District
- Namoneas Chuuk District
- Panasang Pohnpei Stake
Guam[]
Presidents[]
- [26-Mar-2020] Marlo Oliveros Lopez, 62, Seventeenth Ward, Salt Lake Utah Stake, called as president of the new Yigo Guam Temple. President Lopez’s wife, Memnet Panes Lopez, will serve as temple matron. He is an elders quorum president and a former Philippines Bacolod Mission president, stake presidency counselor and bishop. A curriculum specialist for Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, he was born in Manila, Philippines, to Guillermo Mendoza Lopez and Sofia Ferrer Oliveros Lopez [3]
See Also[]
- LDS Church in Guam
- Oceana List of Stakes of the Church
- Mormon Temples List
- Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ