The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic
The Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
AreaCaribbean
Members147,566 (2022)[1]
Stakes21
Districts9
Wards144
Branches59
Total Congregations[2]203
Missions3
Family History Centers33[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Dominican Republic. The LDS Church has had a presence in the Dominican Republic since 1978. With 147,566 members in 203 congregations, Dominican Republic has the largest body of LDS Church members in the Caribbean. It also has the highest members per capita rate in the Caribbean.

History

Membership in the Dominican Republic[4][1]
YearMembership
1978*100
1989*19,000
199969,466
2009110,036
2019143,870
2022147,566
*Membership was published as a rounded number.

On 7 December 1978, the Dominican Republic was dedicated for the preaching of the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints by Apostle M. Russell Ballard.[5] The first person baptized in the country was Rodolfo N. Bodden.[5] Bodden had been introduced to the LDS Church by his friends Eddie and Mercedes Amparo, Dominican Mormons who had joined the LDS Church in New York City and had since returned to their home country, and John and Nancy Rappleye, an expatriate American couple from Utah.[5] After his baptism, Bodden held several leadership callings in LDS Church in the Dominican Republic. He was a counselor to the country's first branch president and Bodden was the first district president in the Dominican Republic.[5]

The first mission of the church in the Dominican Republic—the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Mission—was created in 1981 when there were 2500 members in the country.[5] By 1986, there were 11,000 members and the first stake of the church in the Dominican Republic was organized in Santo Domingo, with Bodden as the country's first stake patriarch.[5] The second mission in the Dominican Republic was organized in Santiago on 1 July 1987.[5]

Stakes and Districts

Stake Organized Mission
Azua DR District13 Oct 1983DR Santo Domingo West
Bani DR District2 Mar 1993DR Santo Domingo West
Barahona DR District9 Apr 1991DR Santo Domingo West
Bonao DR District1 Nov 2009DR Santiago
Cotui DR District1 Nov 2009DR Santiago
Havana Cuba District18 Jun 2017DR Santo Domingo East
La Romana DR Stake11 Dec 2005DR Santo Domingo East
La Vega DR Stake21 Jun 1998DR Santiago
Los Alcarrizos DR Stake13 Mar 2005DR Santo Domingo West
Monte Cristi DR District31 Jan 1995DR Santiago
Monte Plata DR District5 Nov 2023DR Santo Domingo East
Navarrete DR Stake22 Apr 1986DR Santiago
Puerto Plata DR Stake13 Feb 2005DR Santiago
San Cristóbal DR Stake25 May 1997DR Santo Domingo West
San Francisco de Macoris DR Stake26 May 1991DR Santiago
San Juan DR District11 Feb 1992DR Santo Domingo West
San Pedro DR District13 Oct 1983DR Santo Domingo East
Santiago DR East Stake21 May 2006DR Santiago
Santiago DR North Stake8 Jan 1995DR Santiago
Santiago DR South Stake17 Feb 1991DR Santiago
Santo Domingo DR Central Stake18 Oct 1992DR Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo DR Duarte Stake9 Jun 2019DR Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo DR El Almirante Stake13 Apr 2008DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR Independencia Stake18 May 2014DR Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo DR Las Americas Stake13 Apr 2008DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR Las Caobas Stake2 Nov 2003DR Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo DR Los Restauradores Stake31 Aug 2008DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR Oriental Stake5 Nov 1989DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR Ozama Stake2 Feb 1992DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR San Gerónimo Stake16 Oct 1988DR Santo Domingo West
Santo Domingo DR Stake23 Mar 1986DR Santo Domingo East
Santo Domingo DR Villa Mella Stake17 Mar 1996DR Santo Domingo East

Missions

Mission Organized
Dominican Republic Santiago Mission 1 Jul 1987
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission 1 Jul 1991
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission 1 Jan 1981

Cuba

The Cuba District is directly administered by the Caribbean Area. It includes all of Cuba with exception of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. In 2018, it had 357 members in five congregations. There were three congregations in and around Havana (Cotorro Branch, Havana Branch, and La Portada Branch), one in Holguin (Holguin Branch), and one that serves members and families not in proximity to a meetinghouse (Havana Cuba District Branch). As of 2023, Cuba was administered through the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission, however no missionaries are assigned to the country.[6]

Temples

On 16 November 1993, the LDS Church announced that it would construct a temple in Santo Domingo.[7] On 17 September 2000, church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple; it was the church's 99th operating temple and the first temple built in a Caribbean country.[7]
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style:		 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
November 16, 1993 by Gordon B. Hinckley
August 18, 1996 by Richard G. Scott
September 17, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
67,000 sq ft (6,200 m2) on a 6.42-acre (2.60 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Scott Partnership and Church A&E Services

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Dominican Republic", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 29 May 2023
  2. ↑ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
  3. ↑ Category:Dominican Republic Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 18, 2022
  4. ↑ Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Dominican Republic
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dario Caminero, “Membership Milestone Reached in Dominican Republic,” Ensign, January 1996, pp. 78–79.
  6. ↑ Toone, Trent (30 August 2023), "How the Church of Jesus Christ is taking small steps forward in Cuba", Church News, Deseret News, retrieved 20 October 2023
  7. 1 2 Santo Domingo Dominican Republic LDS (Mormon) Temple, ldschurchtemples.com, accessed 2008-09-29.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.