The Suva Fiji Temple is the 91st 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 ...

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).

The LDS Church in Fiji

The first missionaries visited Fiji in 1953. The first recorded meeting of the Church was held July 25, 1954, in the Matanisiga Hall in Toorak, Suva. Jacob, W. James and Lesuma, Meli U
"History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fiji"
''BYU Religious Studies Center''. Retrieved on 27 March 2020. After visiting the island in 1955, church president

David O. McKay David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...

, opened the first LDS branch in Fiji, calling missionaries to increase outreach to Fijians and Indians. In 1975, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Fiji Technical College was opened. The first Stake in Fiji, the Suva Fiji Stake was organized 12 June 1983, with Inosi Naga as president. Stakes were created in Viti Levu and Districts in Vanua Levu and Taveuni due to congregation and membership expansion. The number of congregations increased rapidly in the 1990s form 19 to 41.

History

On May 7, 1998 the LDS Church

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

announced plans to build a temple in

Suva, Fiji Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divis ...

. A ground-breaking ceremony were held for the Suva Fiji Temple on May 8, 1999. Earl M. Monson, a member of the

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 ...

, presided at the ceremony. The site chosen for the Fiji temple was and is considered one of the most beautiful temple sites. The

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

can be seen from three sides of the property on one of the tallest hills in the area, and the site is located just a few minutes away from downtown Suva. The exterior of the temple is finished with Snow-white

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

from Campolonghi,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and the grounds are beautifully landscaped. The temple was open for public tours from June 7 to 12, 2000. Just before the open house, starting on May 19, political unrest occurred in Fiji. A group of armed rebels held a group of government leaders hostage in Suva for weeks. Those held hostage included the Prime Minister of Fiji at the time,

Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former lead ...

. The situation was so intense that the church decided to send all of the Mormon missionaries in the area to the other side of the island to avoid any dangerous situations. Despite these problems and little media attention over 16,000 people toured the temple including 300 community leaders. Those who toured the temple were able to see the two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms, Celestial room, baptistery, and learn more about Mormon beliefs associated with the temple. The Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated on June 18, 2000 by LDS Church president

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 ...

. Because of the

2000 Fijian coup d'état The Fiji coup d'état of 2000 was a civilian coup d'état by hardline i-Taukei (ethnic Fijian) nationalists against the elected government of an Indo-Fijian Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry on 19 May 2000. This was followed by an attempt on ...

, which had been occurring since before the open house, it was decided that a small dedication service would be best and the normal four dedicatory services were abandoned. Sixty people attended the dedication, which was held in the Celestial room of the temple.

Renovations

The temple closed October 13, 2014 for renovations that included improving air conditioning and adding new finishes inside the building. After renovations were completed, a public open house was held from Monday, 25 January 2016, through Saturday, 6 February 2016, excluding Sunday, 31 January.Semerad, Tony
"Why are Mormon temples being renovated?"
''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 1 October 2015. Retrieved on 27 March 2020. The temple was rededicated by Henry B. Eyring on Sunday, February 21, 2016. The temple was rededicated the day after

landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

Cyclone Winston Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record, as well as the strongest to make landfall on record, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2016. Winston is also the costl ...

, the strongest

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

ever recorded in Fiji. The cyclone forced changes to the cultural celebration held the day prior to the rededication.

References

External links

*
Suva Fiji Temple Official siteSuva Fiji Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-Pacific, state=expanded 20th-century Latter Day Saint temples Religious buildings and structures in Fiji Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2000 Buildings and structures in Suva Temples (LDS Church) in Oceania The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fiji 2000 establishments in Fiji

The LDS Church in Fiji

History

Renovations

See also

References

External links