Timeline of Key LDS Church Events in the Philippines
Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor
The finale of a cultural celebration titled “Upon the Isles of the Sea” held in the Kia Theater in Quezon City, Philippines, on September 9, 2017, in honor of the creation of the 100th stake in the Philippines.
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On September 10, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles created the 100th stake in the Philippines—the Mandaluyong Philippines Stake. Following is a timeline for key LDS Church events in the Philippines:
May 13, 1945: During World War II, the first official Church conference is held in the Philippines and is attended by members of the Church in the U.S. military.
Easter morning 1946: Aniceta Pabilona Fajardo is baptized and becomes the first Filipino convert to the Church.
Summer 1949: Elder Matthew Cowley is the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to visit the Philippines.
August 21, 1955: Elder Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicates the Philippines for the preaching of the gospel.
April 28, 1961: Under the direction of Elder Gordon B. Hinckley of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church is legally registered in the Philippines and permission for missionaries to enter the country is granted.
June 5, 1961: The first full-time missionaries arrive in the Philippines.
October 23, 1966: Elder Hinckley dedicates the first LDS chapel in the Philippines, located in Buendia, Makati.
June 28, 1967: The Philippines Mission is formally organized from the Southern Far East Mission.
May 20, 1973: Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organizes the Manila Philippines Stake, the first in the country, with Augusto A. Lim as the stake president.
October 3, 1983: The Philippines Missionary Training Center in Manila is dedicated.
September 25, 1984: The Manila Philippines Temple is dedicated by President Hinckley.
June 1992: Augusto A. Lim is called and set apart as the first Filipino General Authority.
June 15, 1997: The 50th stake in the Philippines is organized as the Bayambang Philippines Stake.
June 13, 2010: The Cebu City Philippines Temple is dedicated by President Thomas S. Monson.
October 2, 2010: President Monson announces a temple to be constructed in Urdaneta.
April 2, 2017: President Monson announces a temple to be constructed in Alabang.
August 2017: There are more than 746,000 members of the Philippines. Elder Neil L. Andersen organizes the 100th stake in the country as the Mandaluyong Philippines Stake.
