The Campinas Brazil Temple, in

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo (state), São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's popul ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, is the 111th operating

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). The temple was the fourth to be built in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

History

The first

Mormon missionaries Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and c ...

arrived in Brazil in the 1920s. Most of the early converts in Brazil were German immigrants coming to Brazil after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1931, the 80 members of the small

branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...

near

built the first LDS meetinghouse in Brazil. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Mormon missionaries were removed from Brazil, but when missionaries returned after the war Brazilian natives began joining the church by the hundreds. Church membership in Brazil continues to grow quickly. The Campinas Temple serves more than 117,000 members from 36 stakes in the area. Brazil is home to more Latter-day Saints than any other country in the world, except the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Plans to build the Campinas Brazil Temple were announced on April 3, 1997. A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on May 1, 1998. It was presided over by James E. Faust a member of the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

, who had served as a missionary in Brazil in the 1940s. The temple site has . The site is on a hill overlooking the 1 million-population city of

and can easily be seen from all around. The temple has a total area of , which includes four ordinance rooms and three sealing rooms. Hundreds of people came for the groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication. The temple was open to the public April 20, 2002 through May 11, 2002. Tens of thousands of people were able to take a tour through the temple and learn more about its sacred importance. LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Campinas Brazil Temple on May 17, 2002. Four sessions were held which allowed thousands to attend the dedication. Before the dedication, Hinckley met with a large group outside and the final

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was placed in the temple. The construction was then officially completed. In 2020, the Campinas Brazil Temple was closed temporarily during the year in response to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

.Stack, Peggy Fletcher
"All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus"
''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

References

External links

Official Campinas Brazil Temple page

Campinas Brazil Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-South-America, state=expanded 21st-century Latter Day Saint temples Religious buildings and structures in São Paulo (state) Buildings and structures in Campinas Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2002 Temples (LDS Church) in Brazil 2002 establishments in Brazil

History

See also

References

External links