New Cagayan de Oro Philippines temple breaks ground

PRESIDENT of the Philippines Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Elder Carlos Revillo Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, August 31, 2024, for the new two-storey Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple.

The Cagayan de Oro Philippines Temple is one of LDS' 13 temples either operating, under construction or announced in the country. It is also the second Latter-day Saint temple in Mindanao currently under construction, following the Davao Philippines Temple.

According to Revillo, the temple will be built on a 1.9-hectare site along Rosario Limketkai Avenue, in the city. It will cover an area of 1,714 square meters

Apart from the temple, the project will also include an ancillary building that will house an arrival center, patron housing, and a distribution center.

"This is a Sacred House of the Lord, we treat this as a symbol ni Hesus Kristo. It is a sacred worship and we believe that this temple will change the nature of our members to become better citizens and better people, better neighbors, and this will bless the community, as well, not just for the Church or member sa among simbahan, but it will bless everyone," Revillo said.

He further said that the decision to build a temple in Cagayan de Oro was due to the high concentration of membership in Northern Mindanao.

"We try to build temples closer to where our members are and where the people are," Revillo added.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Revillo was joined by City Vice Mayor Jocelyn "Bebot" Rodriguez and selected Kagay-anon Latter-day Saints, including pioneer members of the growing Church membership in the Philippines.

At present, LDS has more than 876,000 members nationwide.

Temples of the Latter-day Saint differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members gather for Sunday worship services. According to the senior leader, a temple is considered a "house of the Lord" where Christ's teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism, and other ordinances that unite families for eternity.

Inside the temple, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellow man. (SunStar Philippines)