Temples in the Pacific Articles
The Apia Samoa Mormon temple was announced on October 15, 1977. With its completion the Apia Samoa temple became the 22nd operating temple of the Mormon Church.
There is a lot of Mormon history in Samoa. The first mission was set up in 1888. This achievement came at a great cost for many of the early Mormon missionaries in the area. During this early time in the Church it was common for young married couples to be called on missions. One of these young missionary couples was Katie Eliza Hale Merrill and her husband. Just three months after arriving in Samoa, she became ill. She was pregnant and gave birth to the child prematurely. The baby died the next day, Katie also died. Another couple; Thomas H. Hilton and Sarah M. Hilton lost three of their young children to sickness while serving as missionaries in Samoa. One of the mission presidents, Ransom Stevens, also died while serving in Samoa after contracting typhoid fever. His wife was called back to... Read the rest of this article »
On July 20, 1998, the Mormon Church announced that a temple would be built in Brisbane, Australia. The Brisbane temple is the fifth temple in Australia and the 115th Mormon temple worldwide. The Mormon Church is strong and has grown rapidly. In 1995 there were only 3,000 members in Australia, now there are 186 meetinghouses throughout Australia and more than 106,000 members. The Brisbane temple will serve 20,000 Mormon members in the area. Of the five temples in Australia, four were opened in three years. This remarkable number in such a short time reflects how quickly the Church is growing in Australia.
The Mormon Church has an interesting history in Australia. The first missionary sent to Australia was seventeen-year-old William James Barratt from England. He arrived in Australia in 1840 and stayed until his death in 1890 the whole time teaching the gospel. In 1841, Andrew Anderson from Scotland was the second Mormon missionary in Australia. On October... Read the rest of this article »
The building of the New Zealand Mormon Temple was announced by David O. McKay, the ninth president of the Mormon Church, on February 17, 1955. With its completion in 1958, it became the eleventh operating Mormon temple worldwide. The New Zealand temple was the first temple built by the Mormon Church in the Southern hemisphere.
Mormon history in New Zealand goes back to the 1850’s when the first Mormon missionaries arrived in the area. Missionaries found many who were ready to hear the gospel, but the first stake, organized in Auckland, was not organized until one hundred years after the arrival of the missionaries. Most of the first converts in New Zealand were of Maori or Polynesian descent, and today that can still be seen, since a large proportion of the members are Maori or Polynesian. However, the Mormon Church in New Zealand has become a culturally mixed Church with members in the area of Australian, British, European, Asian, and North American... Read the rest of this article »
The Perth Australia Temple is a great blessing to the 12,000 members that it serves. Previously members had to travel a distance equivalent to Los Angeles to New York to attend the nearest temple in Sydney. Now members can complete their own temple ordinances and work for their ancestors much easier.
“Australia is emerging as a very significant place for the Church. The new temples will assist our many new members to unite their families eternally and cement their faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,”1 said Peter Meurs, president of the Perth Australia Warwick Stake.
Local reaction to the newMormon temple has been favourable. At the groundbreaking ceremony Elder Kenneth Johnson quoted letters from the governor and premier of Western Australia.
Governor Jeffrey wrote, “I have no doubt that the temple will contribute to the growth and stability of the Church here. But more importantly it will contribute to the growth and stability of members... Read the rest of this article »
Plans to build a Mormon temple in Adelaide Australia were announced on March 17, 1999. The Mormon members of the area up until this time had to travel between fifteen and twenty hours one-way to visit the closest temple in Sydney.The Mormon Church has seen extremely rapid growth in Australia in the last few years. In 1955 there were only 3,000 members in Australia, today there are more than 100,000 members. Census statistics show that the Mormon Church is the fastest-growing Christian faith in Australia. This rapid growth prompted the leaders of the Church to announce three new Mormon temples in Australia; one in Melbourne, one in Brisbane and the Adelaide temple.
A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on May 29, 1999. Vaughn J. Featherstone a member of the Seventy, led the ceremony and gave the site dedication prayer. Elder Featherstone was, at the time, the president of the Australia/New Zealand area. Despite heavy rains, more than... Read the rest of this article »
Plans to build a Mormon temple in Sydney, Australia, were announced on April 2, 1980. With its completion, the Sydney temple became the 28th operating Mormon temple worldwide. Before the building of the Sydney Temple, members of the Mormon Church in Australia had to travel to New Zealand to attend a temple.
For a long time it was believed that the first official Mormon missionaries arrived in Australia in 1851, but as early as 1840 Mormon missionaries were sent to Australia. William Barrat was one of them. He was called as a missionary in England and then sent to Australia. He baptized Robert Beauchamp in Adelaide. Beuachamp was one of the first members of the Church in the area and later became a mission president. Barrat was still in Australia when news of the murders of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum reached Australia in 1845. Newspapers announced that Mormonism would die out; the news must have been hard for the only missionary in Australia. William... Read the rest of this article »
On April 2, 1980, the Mormon Church announced that a Mormon temple would be built in Nuku’alofa Tonga. With its completion the Nuku’alofa temple became the 23rd operating Mormon temple worldwide.
The first Mormon missionaries arrived in Tonga in 1891. Missionary work in the area was steady, but in 1922 a law was passed restricting the number of North Americans who could get visas to Tonga. Because of this law, Church leaders began calling missionaries in Tonga to serve in their own country. This was very beneficial to the Church in Tonga, because when World War II started in 1940 and outside leadership had to return to the U.S., there was a strong base of leaders and priesthood holders among the local members of the Church. On June 7, 1946, the Book of Mormon was published in Tongan, which greatly increased missionary work, and in 1954 the Church began publishing a Church magazine in Tongan. The first stake was organized in 1968; at the time there... Read the rest of this article »
The building of the Papeete Tahiti Mormon Temple was announced on April 2, 1980. With its completion the Tahiti temple became the 25th operating Mormon temple worldwide. Until its completion members in Tahiti had to travel to New Zealand to attend a temple.
There is a lot of Mormon history in French Polynesia. The first Mormon missionaries arrived in 1844. This was the first mission of the Church where missionaries would be teaching in a language other than English. Missionaries were able to find many who wanted to join the Church, but missionary work was stopped in 1852, when the government put restrictions on missionary work. Despite the slow missionary work, members in the area remained strong in the gospel and in 1891, the first Mormon meetinghouse was built in Takaroa. It is the oldest Mormon meetinghouse in the South Pacific. In 1892 the restrictions were removed, and missionary work again went forward in the area.
Members in the area are stalwart... Read the rest of this article »
On May 7, 1998, the First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced plans to build a Mormon temple in Suva, Fiji. This is the first temple in Fiji, and the 91st Mormon temple worldwide.
The Church in Fiji is strong. The first Mormon missionaries arrived in 1893. It was hard work to travel among the 100 inhabited islands of Fiji to teach the people. The work was slow, and it was not until 1954 that the first branch was organized in Fiji. After 1954 the work began to quicken, and by 1993 there were more than 6,600 members in six wards and fifteen branches.
A groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication were held on May 8, 1999. Earl M. Monson, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, presided at the ceremony and dedication. The site chosen for the Fiji temple was 4.7 acres. The site is considered one of the most beautiful temple sites; the Pacific Ocean can be seen from three sides of the property on one of the tallest hills in the area, and is located just... Read the rest of this article »
On October 30, 1998, the First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced that a Mormon temple would be built in Melbourne Australia. The Melbourne Australia temple is the 90th operating temple in the Mormon Church worldwide. The members in the area were overjoyed to hear that a temple would be so close. For the past fifteen years members from the area had traveled twelve hours one-way every single weekend-to visit the Sydney Temple.
The first Mormon missionaries arrived in Australia in 1840, but found few who were ready to hear the gospel. Those who did join during those early years of the Mormon Church in Australia, for the most part decided to emigrate to the United States to be closer to the main body of the Church; a common practice in early Mormon history. Missionary work continued to be slow until the 1950’s when the number of people joining the Church suddenly exploded. In 1955 there were 3,000 members in Australia; just five short years later... Read the rest of this article »
