Dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple
The Fortaleza Brazil Temple was dedicated in three sessions on June 2, 2019. Local Latter-day Saints participated in the dedicatory sessions through song and by helping apply mortar to the temple’s cornerstone before the first dedication ceremony.
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a Brazil native, presided over the dedicatory sessions, which were held entirely in the Portuguese language. This marked the first time the entirety of a temple dedication — the prayers, talks and Hosanna Shout — was held in a language other than English.
When speaking about the dedication of this house of the Lord, Elder Soares said, “I felt like we were in heaven. I think the Lord gave us an opportunity to feel the spirit of the country and the spirit of the language.”
The day before the dedication, Elder Soares spoke to missionaries and then to youth in two separate devotional sessions. Elder Soares emphasized the purity of the house of the Lord and the importance of one being worthy to participate in temple ordinances, even as a youth and young adult. He repeatedly gestured and pointed toward the temple from the pulpit of the adjacent stake center where the Saturday meetings were held to underscore a fortress of strength to help withstand temptations, both before and after missions and marriage.
Sandro Alex Silva — son of Antenor da Silva Jr., an early Fortaleza branch president, district president and stake president — recalled the difficult early days of the Church in Fortaleza, where the early members had to fill all the callings, complete all the tasks and even build themselves the first chapel.
Then residing in São Paulo, he joined the Latter-day Saints with roots tracing back to Fortaleza who returned home to enjoy the dedication-weekend events and to reconnect with family and friends.
“It’s something very special,” said Silva of the temple in Fortaleza after the Church’s beginnings there a half-century prior. “My feeling is that now, with the temple, the work here is just beginning.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We also express our gratitude for all the pioneer Saints who helped establish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here in the region of Fortaleza, from its beginnings. We are grateful for their sacrifices and for all those members and leaders who followed in their footsteps to strengthen Thy kingdom, culminating in the establishment of Thy work here with such a solid foundation. Oh Lord, how grateful we are for the many blessings poured out upon our people, our country and especially upon this city of Fortaleza.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple here.
Timeline of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple
The Fortaleza Brazil Temple was announced Oct. 3, 2009, by Church President Thomas S. Monson in October 2009 general conference. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the groundbreaking for the temple just over two years later on Nov. 11, 2011.
An open house was held for the Fortaleza temple from April 27 through May 18, 2019. Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated this house of the Lord on June 2, 2019.
Architecture and Design of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple
The Brazil Fortaleza Temple was built on a slight slope overlooking the city of Fortaleza, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Ceará. Next to the temple stands a meetinghouse for local Latter-day Saints and apartments for those serving in the house of the Lord.
The interior features motifs of Brazilian orchids and vines throughout the glass art, carpets, paintings and woodwork. The temple includes a celestial room, a baptistry and two sealing rooms.
Interior Photos of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple
