Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Open House and Dedication

President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, will preside at the dedication of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Two dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to all congregations in the temple district at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Following a media day on Tuesday, March 12, and invited guest tours on Wednesday and Thursday, March 13 and 14, public tours of the temple will be offered from Friday, March 15, through Saturday, March 30, 2024 (excluding Sundays).¹

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Attendance at the temple site will be by invitation, but the service will be streamed to Facebook Live and broadcast at designated Church meetinghouses throughout the Philippines.²

Temple Rendering

On November 19, 2018, the official exterior rendering of the Urdaneta Philippines Temple was released to the public.

Temple Site

The site selected for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple sits off the MacArthur Highway just south of Urdaneta City.

Temple Announcement

During his opening remarks at the Saturday morning session of the 180th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a temple in Urdaneta City, Philippines.³ Located approximately 100 miles north of Manila on the island of Luzon—the largest and most populated island in the Philippines—the Urdaneta Philippines Temple will help serve the over 100 stakes and districts in the Luzon Island Group currently served by the Manila Philippines Temple.

In June 2011, the Philippines Baguio Mission was relocated to Urdaneta City, which offered a more central and accessible location for the members and missionaries of the mission. Ground was broken in September 2010 for the new mission home and office, which are located next to the recently remodeled and expanded Urdaneta Philippines Stake Center. In June 2013, the Philippines Urdaneta Mission was created from the Philippines Baguio Mission so that missions are now headquartered in both cities.

Temple Facts

The Urdaneta Philippines Temple will be the third temple built in the Philippines, following the Manila Philippines Temple (1984) and the Cebu City Philippines Temple (2010).

Temple Design

Exterior

The temple is adorned with “golden sand” granite sourced from China, a stunning golden, off-white stone that contrasts with the lush greenery of the surrounding landscape. Inspired by Spanish colonial buildings in the Philippines, rounded corners embellish the exterior, culminating in upturned edges adorned with sampaguita flower motifs, paying homage to the Asian influence. Carved stone headers on the windows draw inspiration from decorative ventilation grills found on traditional buildings, while uniquely Asian mango pendants grace the corners.

The motifs used throughout the temple evoke the mango and the sampaguita flower (Jasminum sambac), the national flower of the Philippines. This lovely white jasmine species is native to Southeast Asia. It is culturally and symbolically significant to the Filipino people, representing purity, simplicity, humility and strength.

The windows showcase art glass in shades of gold, pink, purple and green. The art glass design features a bouquet of sampaguita flowers supported by three vertical bands. White iridized glass is used for the flowers, which shimmer with purples and greens when viewed from the interior, reminiscent of the pearlescent shells used in ancestral home windows. This beautiful glasswork was crafted by ETZU, an Indonesian company.

The temple grounds showcase meticulous landscaping, featuring lush gardens and inviting concrete paver pathways that beckon visitors to the temple. The surrounding landscape mirrors the vibrant hues and textures of the tropical paradise that is the Philippines, establishing a serene sanctuary for contemplation and spiritual rejuvenation. Two rows of palm trees line the main approach from the highway to welcome visitors. The site is further adorned with local flowers of exquisite beauty. Additionally, the large acacia trees serve as a natural boundary to gracefully separate the ancillary buildings from the temple.

Interior

The flooring throughout the temple is honed honey gold tile from Israel and Palestine. The entry rugs are 100 percent New Zealand wool, fabricated and installed by Rugs International of Cartersville, Georgia, USA. The broadloom carpet in the instruction rooms comes from Bentley Mills in the USA. Royal Thai in Thailand created the cream-colored carved wool rugs in the celestial room and sealing rooms.

The stainless steel railing was fabricated and installed by Bespoke Metal Art Pieces. In the baptistry, the blue and green mosaic tile from Italy was installed by EuroAsia Marble and Granite Inc., which is based in Manila. The oxen are painted fiberglass.

The satin brass and frosted glass light fixtures throughout the temple as well as the chandelier in the celestial room were fabricated by Preciosa in Hong Kong.

The doors and millwork throughout the temple are made of stained African mahogany, fabricated in the Philippines by Excell Contractors and Developers Inc.

Most of the furniture in the temple was fabricated and installed by Theodore Alexander of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The theater-style chairs in the instruction rooms come from Hussey Seating in Vietnam.

The custom gold mirror in the bride’s room was made by Friedman Brothers in the USA. Excell Contractors and Developers in the Philippines made the decorative mirrors in the celestial room and sealing rooms.

There are four original paintings in the temple: “Continually Flowing,” by Jason Rich, “Triumphal Entry” by Albin Veselka, “Llocos Fields” by Kimbal Warren and “Wings of Morning” by Elspeth Young.

Church History in the Philippines

The first Filipino to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aniceta Fajardo, was baptized in 1946, after being introduced to the Church by Latter-day Saint servicemen stationed in the country during World War II. A few other Filipinos joined the Church in the 1940s and 1950s, but missionary work did not begin in earnest until 1961.

The growth of the Church accelerated quickly, and by the end of the 1960s, the Church had a presence on eight major islands. The first stake in the Philippines was organized in Manila in 1974 by Elder Ezra Taft Benson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The faithful service of Latter-day Saints led to the construction of the country’s first temple, dedicated in 1984 in Manila. In addition, the Church began translating materials into multiple Philippine languages.

In the 1990s Church membership grew to over a quarter of a million members, and today there are more than 850,000 Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. Another temple was built in Cebu in June 2010, and the Urdaneta temple was announced in October 2010.

Working closely with community members of many faiths, Latter-day Saints have provided aid to their fellow Filipinos during natural disasters and are working to help those in need. Members of the Church value education and self-reliance and strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ in all they do.