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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 24,192 members in 5 stakes and 4 districts, 48 congregations (27 wards[1] and 21 branches[1]), 1 mission, and one temple in Haiti, as of December 31, 2019.[2]

History
Membership In Haiti
YearMembership
1983 485
1989* 4,200
1999 8,157
2009 15,489
2019 24,192
1989 membership was published as a rounded number.
Source: Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Haiti, Windall J. Ashton[2]

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.[3]

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.[4]

By 2001, all church congregations were led by local members rather than missionaries.[4] 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,[5] 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 Hati, the United States, and other nations assisted with the medical, cleanup, and rebuilding that occurred following the quake.[6] The church also provided substantial relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna and other tropical cyclones.[4]

Stakes

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.[7] On September 9, 2018, the Les Palmes Haiti Stake was created.

Stakes[8]

  • Carrefour Haiti Stake
  • Croix-des-Missions Haiti Stake
  • Les Palmes Haiti Stake
  • Port-au-Prince Haiti North Stake
  • Port-au-Prince Haiti Stake

Districts

  • Cap-Haïtien Haiti District
  • Saint Marc Haiti District
  • Gonaïves Haiti District
  • Les Cayes Haiti District

Missions

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 was 12 missionaries serving in Haiti from the West Indies Mission. The Pout-au-Prince Mission was organized on August 1, 1984.[9] Following a military coup in October 1991, the church withdrew foreign missionaries from Haiti. Foreign missionaries returned in July 1999.

Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple
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.

165. Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple

Location:
Announced:
Dedicated:
 Size:
 Notes:

Pétionville, Haiti
5 April 2015
1 September 2019 by David A. Bednar
10,042 sq ft (933 m2)
Announced by Thomas S. Monson on 5 April 2015[10]

See also

References
  1. LDS Meetinghouse Locator.Nearby Congregations (Wards and Branches).
  2. "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Haiti", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 2021-01-15
  3. Crockett, David R. "History of the Church in Haiti". Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  4. "Haiti: Chronology". https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/. Retrieved 2021-01-18. External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. "Sustaining of Church Officers". April 2009 General Conference Report. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  6. Berteaux, Kelsey (January 9, 2014), "5 Things to Know about the Church in Haiti", LDS Living, retrieved January 17, 2021
  7. "Fourth Haitian Stake Organized". Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  8. "Port-Au-Prince Temple District". https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/. Retrieved 2021-01-18. External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. Deseret News 2001-2002 Chruch Almanac. Jim M. Wall. p. 468. ISBN 978-1573459334.
  10. 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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