San Juan Puerto Rico Temple Wiki

The Caribbean’s third temple was announced for the island of Puerto Rico by President Russell M. Nelson on 7 October 2018, just over a month after President Nelson traveled to the island for a member meeting held at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico arena. During his remarks, he expressed his admiration for the Puerto Rican Saints who gave service and remained faithful during the awful months that followed the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Puerto Rican member Anali Ojeda said, he “taught us today that we could find peace during difficult times through Christ.” She emphasized, “That’s how we overcame this past year, through Christ.”^[1]”President Nelson Assures Hurricane Survivors in Caribbean of Better Days Ahead,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org 4 Sept. 2018, 7 Oct. 2018 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/president-nelson-assures-hurricane-survivors-in-caribbean-of-better-days-ahead?lang=eng.

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple made regular temple attendance a reality for Puerto Rican Church members, sparing them the time and expense of traveling by plane to the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. At the time of the announcement, there were over 23,000 Latter-day Saints on the island organized into five stakes.^[2]”Twelve Temples Announced as October 2018 General Conference Closes,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 7 Oct. 2018.

The official rendering of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was publicly released on 12 January 2019. The rendering depicted a domed tower rising over the temple entrance, honoring the Spanish colonial architecture found throughout historic Old San Juan including the towers of San Juan City Hall and the iconic defensive castle known as Castillo San Felipe del Morro or simply “El Morro.”

Elder Walter F. González, president of the Caribbean Area, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple on Saturday, May 4, 2019. “Without a doubt,” he said, “this is a day to remember, a day that we will keep in our memories and in which the longing of so many brothers and sisters of this beautiful Island of Enchantment becomes reality.” Elder González encouraged the Saints to build the temple first in their hearts.3 President Wilfred Rosa, president of the San Juan Puerto Rico Stake, spoke to a visibly touched congregation as he recognized the sacrifices of the Saints who have longed for a temple in their own country. “I’m happy because we can finally hear the sound of the coquí (frog) when we leave the House of the Lord,” he said.

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The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple was dedicated on 15 January 2023, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was announced just over four years earlier by Church President Russell M. Nelson.

At the dedication, Elder Christofferson said, “The temple will bless this island. It has had a lot of challenges in recent years, natural disasters and other kinds of difficulties that have been serious and caused a lot of destruction. It will make a difference.”

He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson, Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Benjamin De Hoyos, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Evelia De Hoyos; Elder Jorge M. Alvarado, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Caribbean Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Cari Lu Alvarado; and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and his wife, Sister Carol Waddell.

Sister Christofferson said the local architecture of the temple shows her how the Lord loves His people.

“Each temple is so very specific in its decoration to resonate with the people who live in that location,” she said. “Whenever you walk into a temple, you will feel that the Lord is saying, ‘This is the house of the Lord, this is my house, but I want you to come home.’ That’s what He’s trying to tell us.”

The San Juan Puerto Rico Temple serves members on the island and surrounding areas, saving them the expense of traveling 250 miles to the neighboring island’s Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple. The location of the Puerto Rico temple allows them the opportunity to attend the house of the Lord more regularly.

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Events