Dedication of the Quito Ecuador Temple
The Quito Ecuador Temple was dedicated by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Nov. 20, 2022. The Quito temple was the second temple built in Ecuador and the 24th temple in South America. Prior to the Quito temple’s dedication, members in Quito would travel 270 miles to the Guayaquil Ecuador Temple.
Elder Cook presided over three dedicatory sessions. He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Shayne M. Bowen, General Authority Seventy, and his wife, Sister Lynette Bowen; Elder Jorge F. Zeballos, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s South America Northwest Area, and his wife, Sister Carmen Zeballos.
Elder Cook described the purpose of temples as one that is eternally essential for all of Heavenly Father’s children.
“Temples provide the understanding, clarification, resolution and ordinances that are essential under the Father’s glorious plan to bless those who are on the covenant path.”
Elder Cook said the ordinances themselves are blessings and that continuing to be blessed through those ordinances requires work.
“The primary blessings of the temple are the ordinances of exaltation. The gospel is about exaltation, which requires the making and keeping of sacred covenants with God,” he said.
This dedication came 10 days before the 60th anniversary of Elder Cook and Sister Mary Cook’s sealing in the Logan Utah Temple. After completing the Quito temple dedication, Elder Cook said, “Everything just seemed so right.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: "Dear Father, please touch the hearts of the people here in Ecuador and the temple district that the spirit of Elijah may turn their hearts to their ancestors, that they may be motivated to search for their forebears and do vicarious work in their behalf. May they experience the profound joy that emanates from unselfish service and emulates the great vicarious sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Quito Ecuador Temple here.
Timeline of the Quito Ecuador Temple
The Quito Ecuador Temple was announced on April 3, 2016, by President Thomas S. Monson. Its groundbreaking and site dedication were held on May 11, 2019. The dedicatory prayer on the site and construction process was given by Elder Enrique R. Falabella, a General Authority Seventy and the president of the South America Northwest Area.
The open house for the Quito temple was held from Oct. 14 to Oct. 29, 2022. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Quito temple on Nov. 20, 2022, six and a half years after its announcement.
Architecture and Design of the Quito Ecuador Temple
The Quito Ecuador Temple covers an area of 36,780 square feet and has a single spire above the center of the building. Above the long, rectangular windows on the exterior are decoratively carved stone panels. The exterior is clad in white Turkish limestone, and a gray brick sidewalk circles around the temple. Temple grounds cover 3.96 acres of land, including patron housing on the site.
The house of the Lord includes two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and one baptistry. The symbol of the geranium flower, a flower native to Ecuador, is used throughout the temple, such as in rugs and stained-glass windows.
Interior Photos of the Quito Ecuador Temple
