Description

History

John O’Donnal, an American who moved to Guatemala at age 24, traveled to Salt Lake City in 1946 and again in 1947 to plead with the president of the Church to send missionaries to Guatemala. Four elders arrived in December 1947, and the country was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel.

In 1947 missionaries were sent to Guatemala to begin preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seventy-five percent of the population is Catholic with Evangelical and other Protestant denominations present. By 1984 the membership of the Church had reached 40,000. As of 1998 it had quadrupled to 164,000. In just the last twenty years, membership in Latin America has exploded to 700,000 members strong. ^[1] “Mormon Conversions surge in Latin America”, NBC News, July 13, 2004, Leonor Ayala

The early beginnings of the Church in Guatemala can be traced to the efforts of John O’Donnal, an agricultural adviser to the United States government who was sent to Central America in 1942 to find sources for rubber in the midst of World War II. O’Donnal, a Mormon, grew to love his adopted home and wished to share the gospel message with its people.

In December 1946, he traveled to Salt Lake City and personally petitioned Church President George Albert Smith to send missionaries to Central America. Shortly thereafter, in the summer of 1947, the Church’s Mexico Mission was expanded to include the countries of Central America. The first official Church meeting in Guatemala was held on August 22, 1948, and later that year John O’Donnal baptized the first Guatemalan convert — his wife, Carmen Galvez de O’Donnal. From those humble beginnings, Church membership in Guatemala has grown to over 247,000 today.

John O’Donnal later became the first president of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. Sister Carmen O’Donnal—the first matron of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple—was also the first native of Guatemala to be baptized into the Church.

Udine Falabella, who was the president of the first stake created in Guatemala, organized the first temple trip from the area to the Mesa Arizona Temple. Later, he became the fifth president of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple.

In 1956, while Harold B. Lee (then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve) visited Guatemala City, he felt that it would be a center for Lamanite gatherings and predicted that a temple would be built there.

Before the completion of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, only a small number of Church members could afford to make the journey to the Mesa Arizona Temple, the nearest temple to them for many years. Even after the Mexico City Mexico Temple was dedicated in 1983, the cost of bus fare and food was still out of reach for many Guatemalan Saints. Eriberto Israel Perez, president of the Quetzaltenango Stake in 1985, said the temple’s importance was “immense” and noted that the temple started to influence the lives of Church members for the better as soon as it was announced.^[2]Don L. Searle, “Temple Will Bless Saints in Guatemala,” Ensign, Jan. 1985,

Announcement

The LDS temple in Guatemala City was announced on April 1, 1981,

Plans to construct the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple were announced on April 1, 1981 — news that local Church members received as an answer to decades of earnest prayer.

Groundbreaking

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was held on September 12, 1982, with services conducted by Church leader Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Open House

During the two-week public open house of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple, 24,206 people toured the edifice before its dedication. Volunteering at the temple were 179 missionaries, working in six-hour shifts. About 3,700 copies of the Book of Mormon were distributed, most of which had personally written testimonies inside by Guatemalan Saints.

Prior to its dedication, a public open house was held from November 27 to December 8, 1984. More than 24,000 guests took the opportunity to tour the temple’s interior and grounds. Many were touched by what they saw and experienced, including one university student who remarked that the temple “rises like a beautiful pearl” from the foothills that overlook the city below.^[3]“Guatemala City Temple Dedicated,” Ensign, Feb. 1985,

Dedication

and dedicated on December 14, 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley.

Central American Saints traveled from near and far to attend the dedication of the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple. Participating nations included Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

Civil War embroiled the nation of Guatemala at the time the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was dedicated. In recognition of this strife, President Gordon B. Hinckley prayed in his dedicatory prayer: “May there be peace in the land. May it be preserved from revolution and war.” By 1996, a peace accord had been signed.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Church’s First Presidency, dedicated the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple on December 14, 1984. Hundreds of Church members from areas throughout Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica were in attendance, with many traveling from remote jungle and mountainous regions. Each of the 10 dedicatory sessions was filled to capacity.

In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley petitioned: “Bless our land, O Father, this nation of Guatemala where stands Thy holy house. … May there be peace in the land. May it be preserved from revolution and war. May there be freedom and equity under the law. May there be education and opportunity for all. May the forces of oppression and darkness be stayed by Thy power, and may the light of truth shine over this Republic. … Prosper Thy faithful sons and daughters as they serve Thee in righteousness.”^[4] Guatemala City Guatemala Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Dec. 23, 1984

At the temple’s dedication, President John O’Donnal and his wife, Carmen, were named as its first president and matron. Sister O’Donnal remarked that the dedication of the temple in her beloved homeland “culminates thirty-six years of work and growth and brings the fulness of the gospel to the people. It will be a blessing not just for the members, but for the whole nation as the people come to know Jesus Christ through this holy and sanctified place.”^[5]
Guatemala City Guatemala Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Dec. 23, 1984

The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple has had a great influence on local congregants throughout its district. Church members from many indigenous groups, such as Mam, Kekchi, Quiche, Pocoman, Cakchiquel and Sutuil, have now been able to partake of temple blessings previously out of reach due to travel and financial hardship. Of the experience, one such member stated, “After being in this holy building, I have been able to better understand the order of things pertaining to eternal life.” He continued, “I have understood that if we desire we can be instruments in the hands of God to bless the lives of others.”^[6]“In Many Countries, Great Efforts Made to Attend the Temple,” Church News, June 25, 1994,

Dedication Order

the 32nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was the first temple built in Central America (and in Guatemala).

The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple was the third temple built in a Spanish-speaking country, following the Santiago Chile Temple (1983) and the México City México Temple (1983).

Presidents

Details

Location

Overlooking the capital city of Guatemala, the Guatemala City Guatemala Temple stands on an elevated site in the neighborhood of Vista Hermosa on the eastern side of the city. A missionary training center and patron housing facility are also part of the temple complex.

The temple was built on a 1.4-acre (5,700 m²) plot

The beautified ground are open to the public.

The Guatemala City Guatemala Temple is situated on 1.43 manicured acres on a street called Vista Hermosa, which means “beautiful view.”

Exterior

Six soaring spires surround the landmark building.

Constructed of natural white Guatemalan marble, the temple gleams against the native verdure.

Interior

, has 4 ordinance rooms and 3 sealing rooms, and has a total floor area of 11,610 square feet (1,079 m²).

The design of the 17,609-square-foot building is a striking modern adaptation of a six-spire design that was used in previous temples. The temple’s interior is likewise beautifully appointed, with Mayan influence adding touches of local culture and tradition.