Oaxaca Mexico Mormon Temple

Today members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are seeing the fulfillment of the prophecy of Brigham Young “that the Salt Lake Temple would not be the only temple built, but there would be hundreds of temples on the earth.”1

The Church builds temples in order to administer the higher ordinances of God. “The ordinances of the house of God are for the salvation of the human family. We … hold the keys of salvation committed to the children of men from the heavens by the Lord Almighty; and inasmuch as there are those who hold these keys, it is important that they should be acted upon for the salvation of the human family.” 2

These keys were given to Joseph Smith, who in turn passed them to his apostles; they include the sealing power, which enables those with priesthood authority to bind families together for eternity. Endowment ceremonies are also performed in Mormon temples. According to Brigham Young the purpose of the endowment is “to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels.” 3 The endowment is a series of covenants made between God and men and women.

In 1949, Arwel L. Pierce, the president of the Mexican Mission, while visiting the area announced that the Church would flourish in Oaxaca; since that date Mormon missionaries have baptized 8,500 members in Oaxaca. The number of members in surrounding areas who will be served by the temple totals more than 28,000.

Because of faith and membership growth President Hinckley announced in 1999 that a temple would be built in Oaxaca. During the groundbreaking ceremony Elder Pratt encouraged members saying, “It is my prayer that we examine our lives, study the scriptures, that we may have family prayer, family home evenings, and keep the commandments.” 4 He encouraged members to get their lives in order so they may receive temple recommends, which are required to enter the temple after its dedication.

During the Mormon temple open house more than 10,000 people visited the new temple. Many visitors commented on the peaceful feeling found within the temple, saying, “One feels a peace there, a tranquility. It is heavenly!” 5 During the open house visitors realized that the Mormon Church is a Christian Church evident by all the pictures of Christ decorating the temple walls.

For the first time President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated a temple. The Oaxaca Mexico Temple was dedicated on 11 March 2000. More than 18,000 members attended the four dedicatory sessions.

During the dedicatory prayer President Faust said, speaking as a voice for the members, “We have longed for the day when a house of the Lord would be built nearer to us that we might come here often and worship Thee in spirit and in truth, and receive those ordinances, for both the living and the dead, which lead to immortality and eternal life through the great Atonement wrought by our Redeemer, Thy Beloved Son.” 6

Physical Address:
AV. UNIVERSIDAD #139
FRACC. REAL DE CANDIANI
68130 OAXACA OAX
MEXICO
Mailing address:
c/o Mexico Area Administration Office
POUCH
Mexico
Phone:   (52) 951-516-9588

For more information about Mormon temples visit the sites below:

LDS (Mormon) Temple resources
Teachings About Mormon Temples
USATODAY.com – Mormons open temple doors to share beliefs

(1) Church News, 20 March 199.
(2) Discourses of Brigham Young. 396–97.
(3) DBY, 416.
(4) Church News, 20 March 199.
(5) “News of the Church,” Ensign, May 2000, 107
(6) “Oaxaca dedicatory prayer: ‘May we come here frequently,’” Church News 18 Mar. 2000, 25 Jun. 2005