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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Haiti

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Haiti
The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
AreaCaribbean
Members25,525 (2022)[1]
Stakes5
Districts4
Wards31
Branches19
Total Congregations[2]50
Missions1
Temples1
FamilySearch Centers12[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Haiti refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Haiti. The first branch (small congregation) was formed in 1980. As of December 31, 2022, there were 25,525 members in 50 congregations in Haiti.[1]

History

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Membership In Haiti
YearMembership
1983 485
1989* 4,200
1999 8,157
2009 15,489
2019 24,192
2022 25,525
1989 membership was published as a rounded number.
Source: Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Haiti, Windall J. Ashton[1]

The first member of the church in Haiti, Alexandre Mourra, a storekeeper, wrote a letter to Richard L. Millett, president of the church's Florida Ft. Lauderdale Mission, requesting a copy of the Book of Mormon after he read a pamphlet about Joseph Smith. After reading the book, Mourrga traveled to Florida and was baptized on June 30, 1977. He then shared his findings on the church and on July 2, 1978, Millett and his counselors traveled to Haiti to preside over the baptism of 22 Haitians near Port-au-Prince. The first four full-time missionaries were transferred from the Paris France Mission and to Haiti in May 1980. The first branch was established that October, with Mourra as president. On December 19, 1982 the Haiti District was created.[4]

The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price in Haitian Creole.

On November 29, 1983, selections from the Book of Mormon were published in Haitian Creole. In 1999, the complete translation of the Book of Mormon was published, followed by the translation into Haitain Creole of the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price being published in July 2007.[5]

By 2001, all church congregations were led by local members rather than missionaries.[5] At the church's April 2009 General Conference, Fouchard Pierre-Nau, a native of Jérémie, was called as an area seventy in the church's Fourth Quorum of the Seventy,[6] the most prominent church position ever held by a Haitian up to that time.

Most of the church's buildings sustained little to no damage in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Church buildings became temporary hospitals and shelters during the aftermath of the quake. Several church members from Haiti, the United States, and other nations assisted with the medical, cleanup, and rebuilding that occurred following the quake.[7] The church also provided substantial relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna and other tropical cyclones.[5]

Stakes

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The Port-au-Prince Haiti Stake, the first stake in Haiti, was organized on September 21, 1997, with Reynolds Antoine Saint-Louis as president. On September 7, 2003, the Port-au-Prince North Stake was organized. In September 2012, the third and fourth Haitian stakes were created in Carrefour and Croix-des-Missions.[8] A fifth, based in Petit-Goâve and named the Les Palmes Haiti Stake, was formed on September 9, 2018.[9]

As of February 2023, Haiti had the following stakes and districts:

Stake/District Organized
Cap-Haïtien Haiti District 11 Mar 2018
Carrefour Haiti Stake 9 Sep 2012
Croix-des-Missions Haiti Stake 16 Sep 2012
Gonaïves Haiti District 28 Nov 1999
Les Cayes Haiti District 6 Feb 1990
Les Palmes Haiti Stake 9 Sep 2018
Port-au-Prince Haiti Stake 31 Aug 1990
Port-au-Prince Haiti North Stake 7 Sep 2003
Saint Marc Haiti District 18 Mar 2012

Missions

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Haiti was part of the Florida Ft. Lauderdale Mission when the first convert inquired of the church in 1977. Missionary work opened for Haiti in 1980 and in 1982, there were 12 missionaries serving in Haiti from the West Indies Mission. The Pout-au-Prince Mission was organized on August 1, 1984.[10] Following a military coup in October 1991, the church withdrew foreign missionaries from Haiti. Foreign missionaries returned in July 1999.

Temples

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Main article: Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

On September 17, 2000, the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple was dedicated, making temple ordinances more accessible for Haitian members. The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple was dedicated on September 1, 2019 by David A. Bednar.

edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size: 		Pétion-Ville, Haiti
5 April 2015 by Thomas S. Monson[11]
28 October 2017 by Walter F. González
1 September 2019 by David A. Bednar
10,396 sq ft (965.8 m2) on a 1.77-acre (0.72 ha) site

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Haiti", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 29 May 2023
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches
  3. ^ Category:Haiti Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 18, 2022
  4. ^ Crockett, David R. "History of the Church in Haiti". Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Haiti: Chronology". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. ^ "Sustaining of Church Officers". April 2009 General Conference Report. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  7. ^ Berteaux, Kelsey (January 9, 2014), "5 Things to Know about the Church in Haiti", LDS Living, retrieved January 17, 2021
  8. ^ "Fourth Haitian Stake Organized". Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  9. ^ "These are the recently called stake presidents around the world". Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  10. ^ Deseret News 2001-2002 Church Almanac. Jim M. Wall. p. 468. ISBN 978-1573459334.
  11. ^ Walch, Tad (5 April 2015). "3 new LDS temples to be built in Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand, President Monson announces". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-04-05..
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