Latter-day Saints Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Church in Kiribati
The year 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Members of the Church celebrated this historical event over nine days, including a cultural celebration and a countrywide devotional.
The anniversary weekend coincided with the organisation of Kiribati’s fourth stake.
The Church is rapidly growing in Kiribati, with approximately 1 in 5 people being members. Thousands of people participated in the celebratory events organised by Area Seventy Elder Iotua Tune and other local members of the Church.
Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi of the Seventy and Pacific Area Presidency presided at the conference and weekend events.
The cultural celebration was held on Saturday, 18 October, at Moroni High School, a Church school. The celebration was attended by His Excellency Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, and several ministers from the Kiribati government. About 1,000 dancers from the Betio, West, and East Stakes and the North District performed in a cultural extravaganza featuring 12 performances, which received praise from President Maamau.
On Sunday, 19 October, Kiribati’s fourth stake was organised—the Tarawa Kiribati North Stake. The new stake comprises five wards, including two newly created wards, and four branches. The new units required a new stake presidency and five new bishops to be called.
During the conference, Elder Tune said, “The Lord will now bless us as we work together to build a Zion people, of one heart and one mind, in preparation for the temple.”
A temple for Tarawa, Kiribati, was announced in 2021 and is currently under construction.
Also on 19 October, a nationwide devotional was held to celebrate 50 years of the Church of Jesus Christ in Kiribati. A children’s choir sang Ana Tataro te Tei (“A Child’s Prayer”). Other songs were performed by a youth choir from Moroni High School.
Elder Tune spoke about the Church’s beginnings in Kiribati and how the Lord prepared the young people through education and missionary work to lead the Church there.
“There were a lot of people chosen by Heavenly Father to lead the Church in Kiribati,” Elder Tune said. “Many of our people went to Tonga to be prepared.”
Saiosi (George) Moleni was a missionary at Moroni High School from 1977 to 1979. He traveled from Tonga to speak about his missionary service and how happy he was returning to Kiribati and seeing the people of Kiribati being joyful, loving their church and their island.
President Maamau also spoke at the devotional. His remarks reflected his gratitude to the Church and the education it provides to students at Moroni High School. He congratulated the Church for developing leaders who serve in the community, including in government.
“The Church will grow in Kiribati, and the people will be strong and happy,” he said.
Elder Jaggi acknowledged the positive relationship between the Church and the Kiribati government. He touched on the history of the Church in Kiribati, honouring the pioneers and sharing photos from key historical events.
He spoke to the youth, inviting them to serve missions and continue their education. He also extended the invitation to “make every day a joyous day.” He closed by inviting Church members and all those in attendance to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and prepare for the upcoming temple.