Dedication of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
When President James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, arrived in Porto Alegre as a young missionary, there were only six members of the Church in the city. One of them, Olga Bing Biehl, was baptized on Dec. 17, 1938, exactly 62 years before the dedication of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple.
“For me, the Porto Alegre temple is a true miracle,” Bing said at the dedication. “Never did I think I would live to look upon a temple here during my lifetime.”
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on Dec. 17, 2000. Also in attendance was President Faust and Elder J. Kent Jolley, president of the Brazil South Area, which was later merged with the Brazil North Area in 2007.
Georgina Blind Mayer, a Latter-day Saint from Germany whose family immigrated to Brazil in the early 1900s, testified of the strong feelings she had inside the temple during the dedication. She said, “I do not have an explanation for the pure and sweet feelings I had in the temple today.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Let blessings of strength and vitality rest upon the temple president and his counselors, and upon the matron and her assistants. May a spirit of love be felt among them at all times. May Thy Spirit influence all who work here in any capacity. May they rejoice in the great opportunity that is theirs. Let Thy peaceful influence come upon the patrons, that all may rejoice in that which they do. Bless in ever-increasing numbers the Saints of this temple district, that they may qualify and keep themselves worthy to serve in Thy house.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple here.
Timeline of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced a temple for Porto Alegre on Sept. 30, 1997. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held on May 2, 1998, and a total of 25,324 people toured the temple during its open house from Dec. 2 through Dec. 9, 2000.
The Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was dedicated Dec. 17, 2000, by President Hinckley.
Architecture and Design of the Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
The 13,325-square-foot Porto Alegre Brazil Temple was built on 2 acres of land. It sits on a mountainside overlooking the city and the Guaíba River, and the grounds are populated by palm trees, flower beds and local vegetation.
The exterior is made of white granite from the Brazilian state of Ceará. The interior features two instruction rooms and two sealing rooms.