Announcement of the João Pessoa Brazil Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the João Pessoa Brazil Temple on Oct. 1, 2023, during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 general conference. The announcement of a house of the Lord for João Pessoa was one of two announced for Brazil — and one of 20 such sacred edifices announced worldwide by the Church President. The other Brazil city receiving a temple is Goiânia.
For Ruy Ramalho Rodrigues, having a house of the Lord in João Pessoa, Brazil, will mean “our children will become closer to the Lord, and we will have a growing desire to be together forever.”
A resident of João Pessoa, Rodrigues said his family had to travel four days to be sealed in the temple in São Paulo. Later, they attended the Recife Brazil Temple.
“For our family, having a temple here in João Pessoa is certainly a great blessing,” Rodrigues related. “Now the announcement of the temple in our city, where we could see the Church’s growth, is indescribable. Our family and others will be incredibly blessed.”
Timeline of the João Pessoa Brazil Temple
The João Pessoa Brazil Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 1, 2023. A site location was announced by the Church on Nov. 20, 2023, for a house of the Lord just west of Rio Jaguaribe and northwest of the intersection of Rua Paulino Pinto and Avenida Ministro José Américo de Almeida, in the Cabo Branco neighborhood of João Pessoa. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
Architecture and Design of the João Pessoa Brazil Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Nov. 20, 2023, the João Pessoa Brazil Temple will have an area of approximately 18,850 square feet. The edifice will stand on a 3.9-acre site in the Cabo Branco neighborhood of João Pessoa, a port city in the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil, some 65 miles north of Recife.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show arched windows surrounding an arched entryway. A central, rectangular spire stands above the building, with a tall, thin window on each side. Palm trees and flowerbeds adorn the grounds.