The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Costa Rica
# The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Costa Rica

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Costa Rica refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and its members in Costa Rica. The first branch was organized in 1950. As of December 31, 2022, there were 53,234 members in 78 congregations in Costa Rica.

## History

On July 8, 1946, Costa Rica became part of the LDS Church's Mexican Mission. The first two missionaries, Robert B. Miller and David D. Lingard, arrived in Costa Rica on September 6, 1946. They presented Costa Rican president Teodoro Picado Michalski a copy of the Book of Mormon and began preaching in the country. Due to political unrest, the missionaries left the country in 1948 and 1949. Missionaries returned in 1950 and had their first public meeting on June 7, 1950, with 70 people in attendance. The church's first branch was organized on August 25, 1950 and the property for a meetinghouse was purchased in 1951.

On June 20, 1974, the Costa Rica Mission was started. Manual Najera Guzman was president of the San Jose Costa Rica Stake, which was created on January 20, 1977. At the time of their first meeting, one month after the stake was created, there were 3,800 members.

## Stakes and District

As of February 2023, Costa Rica had the following stakes:

| Stake/District | Organized | Mission |
| - | - | - |
| Alajuela Costa Rica Stake | 9 Dec 1990 | Costa Rica San José West |
| Cartago Costa Rica Stake | 26 Jul 2015 | Costa Rica San José East |
| Guápiles Costa Rica Stake | 26 Jul 2015 | Costa Rica San José East |
| Heredia Costa Rica Stake | 30 Mar 2013 | Costa Rica San José West |
| Heredia Costa Rica Belén Stake | 19 Nov 2017 | Costa Rica San José West |
| Liberia Costa Rica Stake | 13 Oct 1996 | Costa Rica San José West |
| Río Claro Costa Rica District | 8 Jan 1989 | Costa Rica San José East |
| San José Costa Rica La Paz Stake | 10 Nov 1991 | Costa Rica San José East |
| San José Costa Rica La Sabana Stake | 7 May 1978 | Costa Rica San José West |
| San José Costa Rica Los Yoses Stake | 20 Jan 1977 | Costa Rica San José East |
| San José Costa Rica Toyopán Stake | 25 Apr 1999 | Costa Rica San José East |

## Missions

The Mexico Mission was the first to send missionaries to Costa Rica. On November 16, 1952, the Central American Mission was organized. It was renamed the Central America Mission on June 10, 1970, and then the Costa Rica San Jose mission on June 20, 1974, as more missions were created in Central America. On July 1, 2015, the Costa Rica San Jose West Mission was created with the Costa Rica San Jose Mission being renamed the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission.

| Mission | Organized |
| - | - |
| Costa Rica San José East | 16 Nov 1952 |
| Costa Rica San José West | 1 Jul 2015 |

## Temples

The San José Costa Rica Temple was dedicated on June 4, 2000 by James E. Faust.

| 87. San José Costa Rica Temple Official website News & images | 87. San José Costa Rica Temple Official website News & images | |
| - | - | - |
| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: | San José, Costa Rica 17 March 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley 24 April 1999 by Lynn G. Robbins 4 June 2000 by James E. Faust 10,700 sq ft (990 $m^2)$ on a 1.93-acre (0.78 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Álvaro Íñigo and Church A&E Services | San José, Costa Rica 17 March 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley 24 April 1999 by Lynn G. Robbins 4 June 2000 by James E. Faust 10,700 sq ft (990 $m^2)$ on a 1.93-acre (0.78 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by Álvaro Íñigo and Church A&E Services |
