Curitiba Brazil Temple

Dedication of the Curitiba Brazil Temple

The Curitiba Brazil Temple was dedicated on June 1, 2008. Church President Thomas S. Monson presided over the dedication ceremony and was joined by local Latter-day Saints and other general authorities, including Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Charles Didier, president of the Brazil Area.

The house of the Lord was dedicated across four sessions, each of which was completely filled by local Latter-day Saints. Other Church members in the temple district watched a broadcast of the ceremony from their local meetinghouses. Those who attended the fourth temple session in person sang “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” as President Monson exited the temple and walked to his car.

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this house provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for their loved ones beyond the veil. Let them feel of Thy divine love and mercy. May they be privileged to say, as did the Psalmist of old, ‘We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company’ (Psalm 55:14).”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Curitiba Brazil Temple here.

Timeline of the Curitiba Brazil Temple

August

23

2002

Announced

The Church announced a temple for Curitiba, Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2002. The First Presidency — at the time consisting of President Gordon B. Hinckley, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust — sent letters to local Church leaders to announce this temple and one for Panama City, Panama.

March

10

2005

Groundbreaking

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Curitiba Brazil Temple was held on March 10, 2005. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at the groundbreaking ceremony and dedicated the site in Portuguese.

May

10

2008

Open house

The public was invited to tour the Curitiba Brazil Temple from May 10 through May 24, 2008, after VIP and media tours on May 8, 2008. Of the 40,000 who visited the temple, about 4,000 left comment cards, and about 2,000 requested follow-up visits from full-time missionaries.

June

01

2008

Dedication

Church President Thomas S. Monson presided over the dedication ceremony for the Curitiba Brazil Temple on June 1, 2008. The temple was filled for each of its four dedicatory sessions, and other members in the temple district watched a broadcast of the ceremony from their local meetinghouses.

SEE ALL Timeline of the Curitiba Brazil Temple

The First Presidency of the Church announced a temple for Curitiba, Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2002. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for this house of the Lord on March 10, 2005.

An open house was held for the temple from May 10 through May 24, 2008, and 40,000 Church members and nonmembers attended. The temple was dedicated over four sessions presided over by Church President Thomas S. Monson on June 1, 2008.

Architecture and Design of the Curitiba Brazil Temple

The Curitiba Brazil Temple was built on 8.15 acres of land and has an area of 27,850 square feet. Thirty art-glass window panes line the exterior walls of the building, which sits on a site full of grass, trees and flower beds.

On the interior, the temple features a baptistry and celestial room, as well as two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms. Artwork inside the edifice depicts Jesus Christ as well as local natural landscapes.