Oaks heads to Brazil for his first international dedication as Church president

President Dallin H. Oaks will fly to South America this weekend to dedicate the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple — his first international dedication and ministry trip since he was ordained prophet in October 2025, according to Deseret News and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints newsroom.

The dedicatory session is set for Sunday, Aug. 16, beginning at 10 a.m. local time, with a rebroadcast at 2 p.m. to all congregations within the temple district. Once dedicated, the Belo Horizonte temple becomes the 12th operating Latter-day Saint temple in Brazil — a country where more than 1.5 million members worship across more than 2,000 congregations, according to the Church newsroom.

The trip strings together a notable cluster of firsts. It is only the second temple President Oaks has dedicated since becoming Church president — the first was the Burley Idaho Temple in January 2026 — and it is his inaugural international assignment in that role. The dedication also falls just four days after his birthday on Aug. 12, according to Deseret News.

In temples, we are taught the most important things we can learn and do in mortality. The work of temples is centered on our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.— President Dallin H. Oaks, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

For Latter-day Saints, a temple dedication is categorically different from an ordinary chapel opening. Temples are reserved for sacred ordinances — including marriages intended to extend beyond death and proxy ceremonies performed on behalf of deceased ancestors — and are accessible only to members the Church considers in good standing. The Belo Horizonte building offered a rare exception before dedication: a public open house ran June 13–27, and the Church newsroom reports more than 1,300 opinion leaders, public officials and invited guests toured the facility during preview days June 10–12.

The temple itself is modest in scale — approximately 2,665 square feet, single-story — but its design carries regional weight. According to the Church newsroom, the architecture and interior draw on cultural elements of Minas Gerais state, and stained glass windows in white, yellow and blue echo traditional Portuguese tilework found throughout the region. The building sits in the Engenho Nogueira neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, where construction began in June 2023, nearly two years after the late President Russell M. Nelson announced it at the April 2021 general conference.

Brazil's temple footprint is still expanding rapidly. Of 24 announced temples in the country, 11 are currently operating, four are under construction, and eight are in planning and design stages, according to Deseret News. Belo Horizonte's dedication moves one from the pending column into the active one.

Before becoming Church president, Oaks had dedicated several temples in that capacity as a senior apostle, including the Provo City Center, Barranquilla Colombia, Richmond Virginia and Urdaneta Philippines temples, according to Deseret News. His role as prophet gives the Belo Horizonte dedication a different institutional weight — it is the first time he has carried the Church's top office onto international soil.

Why it matters — The Belo Horizonte dedication extends a major religious institution's footprint in one of its largest national memberships while marking the new Church president's first international engagement — a signal of priorities and reach under new leadership.

Reported by deseret.com, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, churchofjesuschristtemples.org