Location
2-20 Lakeba Street
Samabula, Suva
Fiji
Contact
Telephone: (679) 338-8952
Facsimile: (679) 338-0054
Distribution Services: (679) 338-8918
Details
Announcement: 7 May 1998
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 8 May 1999 by Earl M. Monson
Public Open House: 7–12 June 2000
Dedication: 18 June 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Public Open House: 25 January–6 February 2016
Re-dedication: 21 February 2016
Site: 4.7 acres.
Exterior Finish: Snow white granite.
Ordinance Rooms: Two ordinance rooms (two-stage progressive) and two sealing.
Total Floor Area: 10,700 square feet.
Public Open House and Re-dedication:
The free public open house for the Suva Fiji Temple begins Monday, January 25, and continues through Saturday, February 6, 2016 (except for Sunday, January 31).
The temple will be rededicated in three sessions on Sunday, February 21, 2016, with a cultural celebration the evening before on Saturday, February 20.
The re-dedicatory sessions will be held at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. and will be broadcast to meetinghouses in the Suva Fiji Temple District. The three-hour block of meetings will be canceled for that Sunday to allow members to participate in the re-dedication services.
Temple Renovation:
Beginning Monday, October 13, 2014, through December 15, 2015, the Suva Fiji Temple will be closed to accommodate a renovation of the temple, which will improve air conditioning operations and refresh all finishes with some slight modifications. Following the renovation, the temple will be rededicated. Specific re-dedication information will be provided to Church members in the Suva Fiji Temple District as the renovation project nears completion. Other temples in the Pacific Area are preparing to accommodate members from the Suva Fiji Temple District during the closure, including those desiring to receive their own ordinances. Members should contact one of these temples to make necessary arrangements.
Temple Facts:
The Suva Fiji Temple was the first temple built in Melanesia.
Temple History:
Before the dedication of the Suva Fiji Temple, the 12,000 members in four stakes currently living on the main island of Viti Levu and in two districts located on the nearby islands of Vanua Levu,Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu, traveled to temples in Tonga, Samoa or New Zealand. Now their own temple is located just minutes away near the Samabula Chapel. It is a scenic location not far from the downtown area of Suva, Fiji's capital. With views of the Pacific Ocean from three sides of the property, the land is located at one of the highest points in the city.
Elder Earl M. Monson of the Seventy presidency presided at the temple's groundbreaking services. "It will be a privilege for many of you to watch as the temple grows from where we are today to a beautiful structure on this scenic hillside," he said to those gathered at the event. He said the temple will stand as a reminder of the intention God has for families to be eternal. "It will be wonderful for mothers and fathers to be able to point to this temple and say that this is where we were sealed for eternity and their families will have a sense of peace and assurance that will help them through difficult times," he said.
Referring to the great era of temple building initiated by President Hinckley, Elder Monson continued: "In many ways we are preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior to the earth, but equally important is that we are preparing family members to meet Him. It is wonderful to know the steps to be taken on the strait and narrow path, defined by the Savior, that lead to eternal life, and to know how families and the temple are interlocked with them" (Church News, 22 May 1999).