Ground Broken for Argentina's 3rd Temple

Church leaders in Salta, Argentina, gathered to break ground for the Salta Argentina Temple on Wednesday, November 4, 2020. Elder Benjamín De Hoyos, South America South Area President, presided at the service and offered the dedicatory prayer.

“For quite some time, Father, your children have longed to enter and serve in a Holy House with more frequency … Heavenly Father, receive our grateful hearts for this significant and special day that begins the reality of this righteous desire,” said Elder De Hoyos.

The number of attendees was limited because of local COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Celeste Viveros, a young woman from Salta who was asked to represent Latter-day Saints from her age group, also spoke at the event.

“I am grateful to God to live at a time when a temple will be built. Like the primary hymn’s lyrics, ‘I love to see the temple,’ here, in the city of Salta,” said Viveros.

In addition to Latter-day Saints from the area, local government leaders attended the event, including Salta Governor Gustavo Sáenz.

The Salta Argentina Temple was announced in April 2018 by Church President Russell M. Nelson and will be the third temple in Argentina, joining the Buenos Aires Argentina Temple (dedicated in 1986) and Córdoba Argentina Temple (dedicated in 2015).

The temple will serve more than 470,000 Latter-day Saints in the South American country, which has a population of 40 million people.

Source: Church News