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Pago temple groundbreaking dates announced
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been rescheduled to 30 October 2021.
The Church has also named the presiding church leader for the ceremony: Elder Kevin Brett Nattress of the Pacific Area Presidency and General Authority Seventy.
Elder Nattress was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 2 April, 2016, according to church's official website churchofjesuschrist.org.
He was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on 4 March, 1965. He married Shawna Lee Adamson in April 1987. They are the parents of seven children.
Elder Nattress attended Brigham Young University and received a bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from the University of Utah in 1990.
He has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in the California Sacramento Mission, ward Young Men president, bishop, stake Young Men president, stake president, Area Seventy, and mission president.
At the time of his calling, Elder Nattress had been serving as president of the Arizona Gilbert Mission.
He served at Church headquarters as an area assistant in the Utah, Idaho, and North America Central Areas and as an assistant executive director of the Missionary Department. He is currently serving as a member of the Pacific Area Presidency.
Elder Nattress has been employed in health-care administration as co-founder and president of Advanced Health Care Corporation beginning in December 2000. He was also the founder and president of Advanced Health Care Management, Inc.
The date change from 9 October to 30 October was announced early this week in an official media release issued by the Church.
“The ground-breaking date for the Pago Pago American Samoa Temple has been delayed from October 9, 2021 to October 30, 2021. Elder K. Brett Nattress of the Pacific Area Presidency will preside,” the statement says.
The Samoa Observer previously reported that Area Seventy for American Samoa, Elder Faapito Auapaau will preside. However, Elder Faapito will be “attending,” and not presiding, Church leaders clarified last month.
“In a recent article published by the Samoa Observer, it incorrectly stated that Elder Faapito Auapaau will preside at the 9 October 2021 ground-breaking ceremony for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ new temple in Pago Pago,” the Church of Jesus Christ said in a 1 August statement.
Travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic were factored into the decision as to whether the presiding authority would be a local Church leader or a visiting leader from overseas.
"Members of the Church in American Samoa are looking forward to the day when the temple will be completed," it was noted in August.
Also in August, Elder Faalogo told the Samoa Observer that church members will no longer have to travel to Apia to attend the temple in Pesega, following the commissioning of the new Pago Pago American Samoa Temple.
It will increase temple attendance for members in American Samoa, he noted while expressing gratitude for the new temple.
“Temples are spiritually significant places for worshiping our loving Father in Heaven, for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day-Saints,” Elder Faalogo said.
“I am deeply grateful to know that the people of American Samoa will soon have a temple close by.
“They will be able to attend the temple more often. Their families will be blessed. Their joy in Jesus Christ, our Saviour will increase.
“They will have more peace in their lives. Once the sacred edifice is dedicated, the American Samoa saints will no longer need to travel to Apia.”
The ground-breaking ceremony will be held on Saturday 9 October and will be the first temple in the American territory.
The original date (9 October) set by the First Presidency in Salt Lake City, Utah was revealed in a 27 July news release.
More than 16,000 Latter-day Saints live in American Samoa and some of them travel to the Apia Samoa Temple to perform sacred ordinances.
The Pago Pago American Samoa Temple will be built on Ottoville Road at the site of the Pago Pago Samoa Central Stake Centre in Tafuna.
The single-story structure will be roughly 17,000 square feet. The temple construction will also include housing for the temple President, matron and missionaries and a distribution center.
Church President Russell M. Nelson ministered in the South Pacific in May 2019 after announcing the American Samoa temple a month earlier.
