Dedication of the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
In Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, once stood Benito Juarez Primary School, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A chapel on the site was the city’s first Latter-day Saint meetinghouse.
Then, after a house of the Lord was announced for Ciudad Juárez in 1998, the primary school was replaced with the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple. An edifice of learning was exchanged for what some members call a “spiritual university.”
This temple was built less than 2 miles south of the border between Mexico and the United States. At the groundbreaking ceremony in 1999, Elder Eran A. Call — a General Authority Seventy and president of the Mexico North Area — said, “In this temple district, we have members on both sides of the border. This will bring a uniting and joining of members in both communities.”
President William Scott Johns of the El Paso Texas Stake matched the sentiment, saying at the ceremony, “This is a historic day for our community. But when I speak of our community, I am not speaking of the cities that have borders and restrictions; I am speaking of the community of Latter-day Saints.”
Just over 13 months later, an open house was held for both members and nonmembers of the Church to tour the building. One visitor commented, “If all the people in this city could come here and feel what I feel, Ciudad Juárez would be a much better city.” Another said, “I don't need to die to see heaven. This is heaven.”
The Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple was dedicated in six sessions from Feb. 26 to Feb. 27, 2000. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley offered the dedicatory prayer in the first session. He then left to dedicate the Hermosillo Sonora Mexico Temple, and his first counselor, President Thomas S. Monson, offered the prayer in the five subsequent sessions. The leaders were also joined by Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Jorge Alberto Morales Sanchez of the Ciudad Juárez Mexico North Stake said the temple “is a blessing for all who live in the area. There were many tears of gratitude to know that the Lord had confidence in us here in the community of Ciudad Juárez to have a temple.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May all who serve here love and reverence this holy house and do whatever they can to keep it clean and beautiful at all times. May Thy people feel constrained in their hearts to come here frequently and engage in the service which will be performed here. May they leave with gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful opportunity that is theirs.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple here.
Timeline of the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
The Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple was announced May 7, 1998, by the First Presidency. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 9, 1999, with Elder Eran A. Call presiding.
After a public open house from Feb. 12 to Feb. 19, 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple on Feb. 26, 2000.
Architecture and Design of the Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple
The Ciudad Juárez Mexico Temple is a 10,700-square-foot building with an exterior of white marble veneer. Atop the single-story building is a center spire with a statue of the angel Moroni. Inside the temple are the baptistry, the celestial room, two instruction rooms and two sealing rooms. Adjacent to the house of the Lord also stands a distribution center.