Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
Number165
Dedication1 September 2019, by David A. Bednar
Site1.77 acres (0.72 ha)
Floor area10,396 sq ft (965.8 m2)
Official website • News & images
Church chronology
←
Fortaleza Brazil Temple
Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple 		→
Lisbon Portugal Temple
Additional information
Announced5 April 2015, by Thomas S. Monson[1]
Groundbreaking28 October 2017, by Walter F. González
Open house3–17 August 2019
Current presidentHubermann Bien Aimé
LocationPétion-Ville, Haiti
Geographic coordinates18°31′43.1436″N 72°16′4.7964″W / 18.528651000°N 72.267999000°W / 18.528651000; -72.267999000
Baptistries1
Ordinance rooms1
Sealing rooms1
()

The Port‑au‑Prince Haiti Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Pétion‑Ville, a suburb of Port‑au‑Prince, Haiti.[2] It was announced by church president Thomas S. Monson on April 5, 2015, during general conference. It is the first temple in Haiti, the second in the Caribbean, and the church's 165th operating temple worldwide.

Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 28, 2017, led by Walter F. González, president of the church's Caribbean Area. After construction was complete, a public open house was held from August 8 to 17, 2019, followed by its dedication on September 1, 2019, by David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . The structure is 10,396-square-feet (0.24-acre), and has tropical landscaping, palm motifs, and a limestone façade. The temple includes one ordinance room and one sealing room.

History

The intent to construct the Port‑au‑Prince Haiti Temple was announced by church president Thomas S. Monson on April 5, 2015, during the general conference,[3][4][5] with the Abidjan Ivory Coast and Bangkok Thailand temples announced at the same time. At a stake conference on March 12, 2017, apostle Neil L. Andersen announced the location for the temple would be behind the existing Route de Frères meetinghouse.[6][7]

A groundbreaking ceremony occurred on October 28, 2017,[8] with Walter F. González, a general authority who was president of the Caribbean Area. It was attended by local community leaders, including the mayor of Pétion‑Ville[3][9]

A public open house was held from August 8 through August 17, 2019 (excluding Sunday).[10][3] In conjunction with the temple’s dedication, a youth devotional was held on August 31, 2019, in Port-au-Prince, where apostle David A. Bednar encouraged Haitian youth to embrace temple worship as a source of spiritual strength and identity.[11] Member participants expressed that visiting the temple and attending the devotional deepened their faith and increased their pride in being Latter-day Saints.[11][3]

The Port‑au‑Prince Haiti Temple was dedicated by Bednar on September 1, 2019, with three sessions held.[3][12] At the time of its dedication, the temple district included the five stakes and four districts in Haiti,[6] with approximately 24,000 members.[13]

The temple is the church's first in Haiti,[3] second in the Caribbean,[14] and 165th worldwide.[3]

In 2020, like all the church's others, the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was closed for a time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]

On August 14, 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, but the temple was not damaged.[3]

Design and architecture

The temple is on a 10,396-square-foot (0.24-acre) property in Pétion-Ville, with tropical gardens planted with palm trees, shrubs, and sod.[3][6] The temple’s exterior has a limestone façade.[6] The interior has one ordinance room and one sealing room[6] The design includes Swarovski crystal chandeliers (from Austria), with Venetian hand-blown glass fixtures in the bride’s room.[3] The design merges ceremonial functionality with Haitian motifs, such as tropical plant life and native color schemes,[3] including the hibiscus—Haiti’s national flower—and palm leaves woven into the carpets, art glass, and upholstery. These use a palette of turquoise, lime green, blue, and gold.[16][3]

Temple presidents and admittance

The church's temples are directed by a temple president and matron, each typically serving for a term of three years. The president and matron oversee the administration of temple operations and provide guidance and training for both temple patrons and staff.[17]

Serving from 2019 to 2023, Fritzner A. Joseph was the first president, with Marie-Gina M. Joseph serving as matron.[18] He was prevoiusly president of the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission and was also one of the church's first Haitian full-time missionaries.[19][20] As of 2023, Hubermann Bien Aimé is the president with Maggy L. Bien Aimé serving as matron.[21]

Admittance

On June 24, 2019, the church announced the public open house that was held from August 8 to August 17, 2019.[3] The temple was dedicated on September 1, 2019, by apostle David A. Bednar.[3] Like all the church's temples, it is not used for Sunday worship services. To members of the church, temples are regarded as sacred houses of the Lord. Once dedicated, only church members with a current temple recommend can enter for worship.[12].

See also

Temples in the Caribbean ()
= Operating
= Under construction
= Announced
= Temporarily Closed

References

  1. ^ Walch, Tad (5 April 2015). "3 new LDS temples to be built in Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand, President Monson announces". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-04-05..
  2. ^ "Church Leaders Break Ground for Mormon Temple in Haiti: Second temple in the Caribbean", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2017-10-28
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple | Church News Almanac". Church News. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  4. ^ "Monson announces 3 new Mormon temples". Retrieved 2015-04-07.
  5. ^ Thomas S. Monson, "Blessings of the Temple", Liahona, May 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Temple Site". Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  7. ^ "Elder Neil L. Andersen invites the saints in Haiti to be ready to enter the temple". Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  8. ^ Caldwell, Tiffany. "Mormon church breaks ground on long-awaited Haiti temple", The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 October 2017. Retrieved on 5 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Church Leaders Break Ground for Temple in Haiti". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  10. ^ "Public Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for the Haiti Temple", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2019-01-18
  11. ^ a b "How having a temple in Haiti is making the youth proud to be Latter-day Saints". Church News. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  12. ^ a b "First Haitian Temple Is Dedicated: 166th in the Church", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2019-09-01
  13. ^ "Facts and Statistics - Haiti". Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Second Mormon temple in the Caribbean breaks ground". FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  15. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus", The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.
  16. ^ "See the first interior photos of the Haiti Port-au-Prince Temple". Church News. 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  17. ^ "Presidents and Matrons of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple | ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org". Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  18. ^ New Temple President Called to Serve in Haiti, LDS Church, 2018-08-27
  19. ^ "This new temple president and matron were just called to serve in Haiti". Church News. 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  20. ^ "Haiti: Chronology". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  21. ^ "Meet the new president and matron of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple". Church News. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
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