Praia Cabo Verde Temple
The announcement that a Latter-day Saint temple will be built in Cabo Verde was made by President Russell M. Nelson during his closing talk at the 188th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 7 October 2018.
This will be the first temple in Cabo Verde, a country of 10 islands off the west coast of Africa. Construction on the temple with an adjacent meetinghouse is expected to begin in 2019 and is anticipated to take about two years to complete. Church members currently must fly to the Madrid Spain Temple to attend the temple.
On Friday, 8 February 2019, an artist rendering of the temple was made public. The rendering features a single-story temple with an end spire reflective of the architectural styles in the area. The temple will be built in the capital city of Praia on the island of Santiago and located east of Avenida Cidade de Lisboa in the Tahiti Chã de Areia neighborhood.
Missionary work began in Cabo Verde in 1988 which resulted in the creation of the Praia/Lajes Branch a short time later.
As of 1 January 2018, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 14,205 members in three stakes, two districts, 42 congregations (24 wards and 18 branches), one mission, and three family history centers in Cabo Verde.
There are approximately 50 missionaries serving in the country. Some 100 natural-born Cabo Verde members have served full-time missions in areas throughout the world.
On 22 February 1998, Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church, visited the islands and met with government officials and members of the Church.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for Praia Cabo Verde Temple
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Praia Cabo Verde Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held on Saturday, 4 May 2019. Elder Paul V. Johnson, president of the Europe Area for the Church, presided over the groundbreaking and dedicated the temple site. Attendance at the site was by invitation only.
The Praia Cabo Verde Temple is the first LDS temple in that part of the world. The temple will be built in the capital city of Praia on the island of Santiago and located east of Avenida Cidade de Lisboa in the Tahiti Chã de Areia neighborhood.
During his remarks, Elder Johnson said, "For Cabo Verde’s faithful sons and daughters the blessing of having a temple of the Lord in their own country is a powerful reminder of the Lord’s promise in the Book of Mormon that He remembers His children upon the isles of the sea." A newly wedded couple from Cabo Verde, Zanny and Simão Lopes, expressed the impact this temple will have in their lives. They said, "We just got married two months ago, in the Recife (temple) in Brazil. We are very excited to be able to enter the temple of our own country."
More details about the groundbreaking ceremony can be found on the Cabo Verde Newsroom website.
