In a news release Tuesday, the church announced locations for the Flagstaff Arizona Temple and the Kahului Hawaii Temple.

The Arizona temple will be an 18,850-square-foot, single-story edifice built on a 10.43-acre site in Flagstaff, while the Hawaii temple will be located on a 7.6-acre site and will be 19,000 square feet, according to the release.

There are currently six temples in Arizona. The Flagstaff temple is one of three more planned for the state.

There are currently two temples constructed in Hawaii with two more, including the Kahului temple, announced.

President Russell M. Nelson, former president of the church, announced the Flagstaff temple at the April 2025 general conference of the church. He announced the Kahului temple at the October 2023 general conference.

“Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue and charity,” Nelson said at the April 2025 general conference. “Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.'”

Philippines temple dedicated

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church dedicated the Alabang Philippines Temple on Jan. 18.

“Today I had the sacred privilege of dedicating the Alabang Philippines Temple–the fourth house of the Lord to be dedicated in this beautiful country,” Bednar said in a Facebook post on Jan. 18.

“As 10 additional temples are under construction or in planning here, it is clear the blessings of the temple are expanding across this remarkable nation.

“In temples, we focus on the Savior, Jesus Christ. The covenants and ordinances we make in the house of the Lord enable us to have a covenant connection with the Father and the Son. Everything in the house of the Lord is about the Father’s plan of happiness and the Savior’s Atonement.

“In a world that grows increasingly confused, we can be blessed with light and direction in the house of the Lord.”

The Alabang Philippines Temple is the 213th temple to be constructed throughout the world. It was announced on April 2, 2017, by President Thomas S. Monson, then president of the church.

Open house for Zimbabwe temple

The open house for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started Thursday. It will continue through Feb. 7.

The temple will be dedicated on March 1 by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church.

The Harare Zimbabwe Temple was announced on April 3, 2016, by Monson. It is the first for the country and will be the ninth in Africa. There are 20 additional temples planned for Africa.

The Harare Zimbabwe Temple is the final temple awaiting completion to be announced by Monson. All others, with the exception of the Portland Maine Temple, announced on Dec. 14, 2025, were announced by Nelson.

Contact Standard-Examiner editor Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.