The public is invited to tour the new Urdaneta Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This new house of worship is the third Latter-day Saint temple in the country and the first in Northern Luzon.
“This city, this locale, this property, this province, and the entire nation of the Philippines will never ever be the same as a result of the construction of this building,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles expressed during his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony on January 16, 2019.
At an event for the temple’s construction workers on May 15, 2021, Elder Taniela Wakolo of the Philippines Area Presidency explained the value of the edifice to Church members: “The temple is the house of God, and within it, sacred ordinances are performed. We know that families can be together forever because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These wonderful blessings are available to all,” he said.
The First Presidency of the Church has announced that the open house will be held from Monday, March 18, 2024, to Saturday, March 30, 2024, except Sunday, March 24. The open house gives people of all faiths the opportunity to tour the temple’s beautiful interior and grounds and learn about the purpose of these sacred structures. Tours are free, and no reservations are needed. More information is available at UrdanetaTemple.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, April 28. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, the Church’s highest governing body, will preside at the dedication.
Two sessions will be held on April 28 at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Philippines Time). Additional details, including local broadcast information regarding the temple dedication will be announced at a later date.
The temple is located at MacArthur Highway, Brgy. Nancayasan, Urdaneta City. It is 3,029 square meters and 41.6 meters high. The temple reflects both the Spanish and Asian influences on the Philippines and contains design references to the mango and the sampaguita flower.
There are more than 850,000 Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. Currently, Church members in Northern Luzon must travel to either Manila or Cebu to worship in a temple. In addition to the Urdaneta Temple, 10 more temples have been announced or are under construction in Alabang, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Laoag, Naga, Santiago, Tacloban and Tuguegarao. The Philippines has the fourth-largest population of Latter-day Saints of any country in the world, and members worship in more than 1,200 congregations.
Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ from meetinghouses or chapels, where members meet for Sunday worship services. Each temple is considered a “house of the Lord,” where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve others.