Announcement of the Teresina Brazil Temple
President Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced the Teresina Brazil Temple on April 2, 2023, during the Sunday afternoon session of April 2023 general conference. A house of the Lord for this northeastern Brazil city was among 15 announced worldwide by the Church President — and the 19th for this South American nation.
At the same time a temple was announced for Teresina, a house of the Lord was announced for another Brazilian city — Natal. Thus, for Bruna Verçoza Fernandes, the Prophet’s announcements were a “double dose of joy.” Fernandes is a native of Teresina, and just a month prior to the general conference, she and her family had moved to Natal.
“For a long time we’ve waited to hear the temple of our beloved Teresina being announced, and it finally happened,” she said. “We were so excited. I was shaking with so much emotion. I feel so much gratitude for this blessing of having these temples announced.”
For Fernandes’ husband, Rhuan Pablo de Sousa Fernandes, there was similar excitement. When he was 12 or 13 years old, he first went to the temple in Recife. The bus trip took some 20 hours.
“I stayed for four unforgettable days working in the temple,” he recalled. “This experience helped me to develop a great love for the temple. I returned from that trip with a strong desire to return to the temple as soon as possible. And since then I have dreamed of the day when we would have a temple in Teresina. ... Today, this dream becomes a reality.”
Timeline of the Teresina Brazil Temple
The Teresina Brazil Temple was announced by Church President Russell M. Nelson on April 2, 2023. The Church released a site location on Aug. 28, 2023, for a sacred edifice in the Noivos sector of Teresina. Details about the temple’s groundbreaking have not yet been released.
Architecture and Design of the Teresina Brazil Temple
According to site plans released by the Church on Aug. 28, 2023, the Teresina Brazil Temple will be approximately 25,400 square feet and will stand on a 3.60-acre site in the Noivos sector of Teresina in the northeastern state of Piauí.
Architectural renderings of the house of the Lord show a white exterior surrounded by tall, rectangular windows, with an arched window above the entrance. A two-story tower with eight rectangular windows stands above the center of the building.