The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared new temple updates for three countries, including open house and dedication dates in California, renovation plans in Samoa and a site location in Germany. According to a Church Newsroom release, the updates include the Modesto California Temple, the Apia Samoa Temple and the Hamburg Germany Temple.
Temples and the Family
President Dallin H. Oaks recently taught in general conference that temples hold a central place in the doctrine and worship of the Church of Jesus Christ. “The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers on the family. Essential to our doctrine on the family is the temple,” he said.
President Oaks also connected temple ordinances directly to the Church’s teachings about eternal families. “The ordinances received there enable us to return as eternal families to the presence of our Heavenly Father,” he said.
The Church distinguishes temples from meetinghouses or chapels, where members gather for Sunday worship services. The Church describes a temple as a house of the Lord where members reaffirm the teachings of Jesus Christ through marriage, baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors and other ceremonies that allow families to unite for eternity.
Modesto California Temple
Artist’s rendering of the Modesto California Temple. | Church NewsroomThe Church announced open house and dedication dates for the Modesto California Temple. The open house schedule will begin with a media day on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, followed by invited guest tours on October 14 and 15.
The Church will invite the public to tour the temple from October 16 through October 31, excluding Sundays. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside at the dedication on Sunday, November 22, 2026.
The Church will broadcast the dedicatory session to congregations in the Modesto California Temple district. The Church first announced the Modesto California Temple in April 2022.
California has nearly 730,000 Latter-day Saints who meet in around 1,000 congregations. The state already has dedicated temples in Feather River, Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento and Yorba Linda.
The San Diego California Temple has a rededication scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2026. The Church has also announced temples in Bakersfield and Sunnyvale.
Apia Samoa Temple
The Apia Samoa Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. | Church NewsroomThe Church announced that the Apia Samoa Temple will close for an extensive renovation beginning December 23, 2026. During the closure, the Church encouraged members in the temple district to attend other temples as their circumstances permit.
The Church also instructed members who desire to receive their own ordinances to contact a temple in the surrounding area to make the needed arrangements. The release did not include a reopening date or a projected length for the renovation.
More than 90,000 Church members live in Samoa and meet in around 170 congregations. The Apia Samoa Temple has served members in the region for decades.
The Church first dedicated the Apia Samoa Temple in 1983. After a fire destroyed the sacred structure, President Gordon B. Hinckley rededicated the temple in 2005.
The Church also announced the Savai’i Samoa Temple in 2023. That announcement added another temple to the list of planned houses of the Lord in Samoa.
Hamburg Germany Temple
A map showing the future location of the Hamburg Germany Temple. | Church NewsroomThe Church identified the location for the Hamburg Germany Temple. The temple will stand on a 1.4-acre site at Wartenau 20 in Hamburg, Germany.
The Hamburg Germany Temple will become the third house of the Lord in the country. The Church first announced the temple in 2023.
Germany already has two temples: the Frankfurt Germany Temple and the Freiberg Germany Temple. The Church first dedicated both temples in the 1980s.
More than 40,000 Church members live in Germany and meet in nearly 150 congregations. The Hamburg site announcement gives members a clearer picture of where the country’s next temple will rise.
Temple Updates Across Three Countries
Map of all temple projects around the world in every stage from announced to dedicated. | ChurchofJesusChristTemples.orgTogether, the three updates show the Church moving forward with temple work in different stages. In California, the Church prepared to open the Modesto California Temple for public tours and a dedication; in Samoa, the Church prepared to renovate an existing temple; in Germany, the Church identified the site for a previously announced temple.
Each update affects members in a different way. The Modesto California Temple district will prepare for an open house and dedication, members in the Apia Samoa Temple district will plan for a temporary closure, and members in Germany now know the planned location of the Hamburg Germany Temple.
The Church Newsroom release kept the focus on practical details: dates, locations, member instructions and the role temples play in Latter-day Saint worship. The updates also placed each temple within the broader Church presence in California, Samoa and Germany.
For Latter-day Saints, temples serve a purpose distinct from regular Sunday worship spaces. The Church teaches that members participate in sacred ordinances in temples and that those ordinances point them toward Jesus Christ, family relationships and eternal promises.
Which of these announcements are you most excited for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.
