SALT LAKE CITY-Monday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a groundbreaking date for a temple to be located at Port Vila, Vanuatu.

This ceremony is slated for Saturday March 4 in the Vanuatuan capital city.

Presiding at the event will be Elder K. Brett Nattress, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Salt Lake City-based faith’s Pacific Area.

This temple was announced in October 2020 by Church President Russell M. Nelson.

This will be the first temple in Vanuatu upon its completion.

Presently, Vanuatuan Latter-day Saints attend the Church’s temple at Suva, Fiji. This is a distance of 781 miles.

Vanuatu consists of 11,051 Latter-day Saints presently in one stake and 37 congregations.

The Church has had a presence in Vanuatu since July 1973.