The Alabang Philippines Temple is a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) under construction in

Alabang Alabang is a barangay in Muntinlupa, Philippines. At one time the area was a farming district, and has since grown from a village to a major commercial center, which includes the Filinvest City and Madrigal Business Park, and a transportation hub ...

Muntinlupa Muntinlupa, officially the City of Muntinlupa ( fil, Lungsod ng Muntinlupa), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

In 1961,

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

and a small gathering of members at the

Manila American Cemetery The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila, within the boundaries of the former Fort William McKinley. It can be reached most easily from the city via EDSA to McKinley Road, then to McKinle ...

marked the beginning of the LDS Church in the Philippines."First Presidency Announces Groundbreaking Date for 4th Temple in PH"
''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the ''MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', January 24, 2020. Retrieved on April 5, 2020. With more than 800,000 members in the country, the Philippines has the fourth largest membership in the world after the United States, Mexico and Brazil. The Alabang Philippines Temple was announced by church president

Thomas S. Monson Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the rel ...

in April 2017. This temple was announced concurrently with 4 other temples. At the time, the number of the church's total number of operating or announced temples was 182. A groundbreaking was originally scheduled for May 2, 2020, under the direction of

D. Todd Christofferson David Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) is an American religious leader and former lawyer who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general ...

. However, the groundbreaking was delayed as a result of the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The groundbreaking occurred on June 4, 2020, with the area president, Evan A. Schmutz, presiding. The groundbreaking for this temple marked the first time in the church's history that two temples were under construction at the same time in the Philippines. The temple will be a two-story building with a tall, tapering spire over the main entrance, and a patron housing facility behind the building.Satterfield, Rick
"Alabang Philippines Temple"
''ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org'', 2020. Retrieved on April 5, 2020. The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the fourth LDS temple built in the Philippines, following the

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

(1984),

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

(2010), and Urdaneta (estimated for 2022) temples. Three more temples were announced in 2018 and 2019, which are the Davao (for which a groundbreaking was also held in 2020), and the

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

and

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...

temples. No information on groundbreakings have been communicated for the latter two temples. The Alabang and Manila temples are 13 miles apart.Taylor, Scott
"How far apart are these Mormon temples?"
''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'', October 19, 2017. Retrieved on March 28, 2020.

References

External links

Alabang Philippines Temple Groundbreaking announcementAlabang Philippines Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-Asia Proposed buildings and structures in the Philippines Proposed religious buildings and structures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temples (LDS Church) in the Philippines The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines 21st-century Latter Day Saint temples Buildings and structures in Pangasinan Churches in Metro Manila

History

See also

References

External links