President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will dedicate the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple on Sunday, Aug. 16, marking his first international temple dedication and his first international ministry since being named President of the Church on Oct. 14, 2025. The dedication follows a period of significant leadership transitions, including his earlier dedication of the Burley Idaho Temple on Jan. 11, 2026.
Significant Milestones for President Oaks
The dedication event on Aug. 16 will be the second that President Oaks has presided over since his formal announcement as Church President. This visit represents a significant milestone for the Church leader, as it is his first travel outside the United States since the late President Russell M. Nelson conducted a ministry in Southeast Asia in November 2019.
While the Belo Horizonte dedication is a major international event, it is one of two temple dedications scheduled for that Sunday. Earlier that morning, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is scheduled to dedicate the Cleveland Ohio Temple. Together, these locations will become the Church’s 220th and 221st dedicated houses of the Lord worldwide, respectively.
Temple Architecture and Brazilian Context
The Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple is the 12th dedicated temple in Brazil, a nation that is home to more than 1.5 million members of the Church across more than 2,000 wards and branches. Brazil currently holds the distinction of having more temples than any other country besides the United States and Mexico.
Located in the Engenho Nogueira neighborhood, the temple's architecture and interior design are inspired by the cultural elements of Minas Gerais. Its stained glass windows utilize shades of white, yellow, and blue, which are inspired by traditional Portuguese tilework found throughout the state. The temple was originally announced by President Russell M. Nelson during the Church’s April 2021 general conference.
A Homecoming for Local Members
For local members in Minas Gerais, the arrival of President Oaks is being viewed as a homecoming. Many longtime Latter-day Saints in the region recall his previous visits to the city during his tenure as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Alessandra Myrrha, co-chair of the temple open house and dedication committee, noted that the President's decision to personally perform the dedication makes the community feel his love. The Myrrha family recalled visits from Elder Oaks in 2005 and 2007, including a time when he visited their home for dinner while serving as a General Authority Seventy.
Broadcast and Local Anticipation
Although the President and his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, will attend the 10 a.m. dedicatory session, attendance is limited to approximately 200 local Church leaders and members via special ticketing. However, the session will be rebroadcast at 2 p.m. to congregations throughout the temple district.
Latter-day Saints in the state of Espírito Santo will also be watching the broadcast in anticipation of a new temple announced for the state's capital, Vitória, in 2021. While construction has not yet begun in Vitória, the broadcast offers a preview of the upcoming house of the Lord.
A Prayer for Brazil
In a dedicatory prayer offered for the occasion, President Oaks expressed gratitude for the pioneers of faith who established the Church's work in Brazil. He prayed for the citizens of Brazil and its neighboring nations, asking for freedom and prosperity in both spiritual and temporal activities.
His prayer also included requests for blessings upon the leaders of the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple, including the president and matron, as well as the missionaries and all who serve in the Church. The prayer concluded with a dedication of every part of the sacred structure, from its foundations to its crowning steeple, for holy purposes.
Global Temple Expansion
The Belo Horizonte dedication is part of a broader pattern of temple dedications overseen by the Church's leadership. In the 10 months following his presidency began, President Oaks has presided over 10 new temple dedications across five U.S. states and three other countries, including three in the Philippines.
This follows the administration of President Russell M. Nelson, who dedicated four temples, including the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in November 2024, which was the Church's 200th dedicated temple. Looking ahead, 11 more new temples are scheduled for dedication through the first of 2028.
