The Panama City Panama Temple is the 127th operating
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 ...
of
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). It was announced in 2002 and was dedicated on August 10, 2008 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 ...
.
Located in
Cárdenas, a suburb of
Panama City
Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
, it is the first church temple in Panama.
The plans to build a temple in Panama City were announced by the LDS Church on August 23, 2002. Ground was broken and the site was dedicated on October 30, 2005, by Spencer V. Jones, a member of the church's
Second Quorum of the Seventy
Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jes ...
and the president of the church's
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
Area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape
A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...
.
["Ground Broken for Construction of Panama City Panama Temple"](_blank)
''Liahona Liahona may refer to:
*Liahona (Book of Mormon), in the Book of Mormon, a brass ball of "curious workmanship" that provided directions for Lehi and his party while traveling
* ''Liahona'' (magazine), a periodical published by The Church of Jesus Chr ...
'', March 2006. On May 4, 2007, a statue of the
angel Moroni
The Angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith's ...
was added to the temple's spire.
The temple is adjacent to the LDS Church's Cárdenas
Ward meetinghouse, close to the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
.
The Panama City Panama Temple serves
Latter-day Saint
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
s in all of Panama. There are 39,000 Latter-day Saints in Panama in seven
stakes and eight
mission districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
.
The open house for the temple began on the July 11 and ended on July 26, 2008.
During the open house, the temple was open to everyone; however, since it has been dedicated only members of the church in good standing can enter.
[Inician las Puertas Abiertas del Templo de Panamá](_blank)
La Iglesia de JESUCRISTO de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Last Accessed 2008-07-12. The temple's dedication was held on August 10, 2008 in four sessions. Prior to the dedication, a cultural celebration was held including performances by Panamanian youth members of the church.
See also
*
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Panama
*
Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*
List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*
List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
*
Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
References
External links
Panama City Panama Temple Official sitePanama City Panama Templeat ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panama City Panama Temple
21st-century Latter Day Saint temples
Buildings and structures in Panama City
Religious buildings and structures in Panama
Religious buildings and structures completed in 2008
Temples (LDS Church) in Latin America
Temples (LDS Church) in North America
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Panama
2008 establishments in Panama