The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced groundbreakings for the Neiafu Tonga Temple and the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple. Both were announced in April 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Neiafu Tonga Temple will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021. Elder ‘Inoke F. Kupu of the Quorum of the Seventy will preside at the event.
The Neiafu Tonga Temple will be built at the site of the Church-owned Saineha High School. The single-story structure will be about 17,000 square feet. This will be the country’s second temple, following the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple. Tonga is home to more than 66,000 Latter-day Saints — roughly 60 percent of the nation’s population.
Leaders will break ground for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple on Saturday, October 9, 2021. The event’s presiding Church leader will be determined based on travel requirements related to COVID-19.
The Pago Pago American Samoa Temple will be built on Ottoville Road on the site of the Pago Pago Samoa Central Stake Center in Tafuna, American Samoa. The single-story structure will be roughly 17,000 square feet. The temple construction will also include housing for the temple president, matron and missionaries and a distribution center. The temple will be the first in American Samoa. More than 16,000 Latter-day Saints live in this U.S. territory.
Attendance at both groundbreaking ceremonies will be by invitation only. The groundbreaking ceremonies will be broadcast to congregations in the two temple districts.
This news release was provided by the Church Newsroom.
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
