**Pago Pago Temple Dedication and Open‑House Schedule Announced**
*Pago Pago, American Samoa –* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints has released the schedule for the dedication of its new temple in Pago Pago, marking the first temple to be dedicated in the United States territory of American Samoa.
– **Dedication:** Elder Quentin L. Cook, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will dedicate the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple on **Sunday, December 13, 2026**. The dedication will be broadcast to congregations throughout the temple district.
– **Public Open House:** The temple will be open to the public from **Wednesday, November 4, through Saturday, November 21, 2026**, with the exception of Sundays.
– **Media Day and Guest Tours:** A media day is scheduled for **Tuesday, November 2**, and invited guests will tour the temple on **Wednesday, November 3**.
These dates were posted on the Church’s official website, ChurchofJesusChrist.org, on **Monday, August 24, 2026**. According to the announced schedule, the Pago Pago dedication will be the final temple dedication for the year 2026.
**Temple Details**
Groundbreaking for the temple took place on **October 30, 2021**, presided over by Elder K. Brett Nattress, a General Authority Seventy and then first counselor in the Church’s Pacific Area presidency. Elder Nattress remarked, “As we symbolically turn the soil, let us turn our hearts to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us establish a firm foundation in our Savior.”
The planned structure is a single‑story building of approximately **17,000 square feet**, located in Tafuna, American Samoa. The site will also include housing for the temple president and missionaries, as well as a distribution center.
**Historical Context**
Missionary work in the region began in June 1888 with the establishment of the Samoan Mission. The first meetinghouse in Samoa was dedicated on **October 28, 1888**, in Aunu‘u, the same day a branch was organized. The Pago Pago Stake, the first stake in American Samoa, was created on **June 15, 1969**. Between 1985 and 1991, Church membership in the territory doubled from roughly 5,500 to about 11,000 members.
Today, the Church reports more than **17,600 members** in American Samoa, organized into **44 wards and branches**.
*Source: Deseret Church News, reported by Joel Randall.*
Article and image source: samoanews.com
