Missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Maritime provinces began in 1833. One missionary preached in Saint John and later in Sackville, where he baptized 18 people and organized the first branch (a small congregation) in the Maritimes. Among those baptized in Sackville was Marriner W. Merrill, who later preached extensively in Canada and eventually became a prominent Church leader. In 1920, a branch was organized in Saint John. Church members constructed a meetinghouse in 1954. The Fredericton Branch was organized in 1940, and by 1963 members completed a meetinghouse there. The Moncton Branch, created in 1966, included the Sackville area where the first branch of the Church in the Maritimes was created. Membership in this branch reached 160 in 1974. A stake (similar to a diocese) was organized in Saint John in 1988. Although growth of the Church in the Maritimes has fluctuated over time, membership continued to grow through the end of the century.
New Brunswick
2 684
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
1
Stakes
6
Congregations
3
Family History Centers
History
Canada
211 581
Total Church Membership
56
Stakes
501
Congregations
115
Family History Centers
9
Temples
6
Missions
|
History
Joseph Smith, Sr. and his son Don Carlos — the father and brother of Joseph Smith, Jr. — preached in several Canadian towns and hamlets north of the St. Lawrence River in September 1830. The Canadian settlements were only a day or two’s journey from Palmyra, New York, and Kirtland, Ohio, and several converts were eager to share their new religion with relatives north of the border.
Between 1830 and 1850, some 2,500 Canadians joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, mostly in Upper Canada (modern-day southern Ontario and the watershed areas of Northern Ontario along the Ottawa River and Lakes Huron and Superior) but also in the southern English-speaking townships of Lower Canada (southern portion of current-day Quebec and the Labrador region), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The first known Latter-day Saints to enter what is now Alberta were Simeon F. Allen and his son Heber S. Allen of Hyrum, Utah, who contracted work in 1883 on the Canadian Pacific Railroad between Medicine Hat and Calgary. They were joined by other Later-day Saints from Utah working on the contract.
A few years later in 1886, Cache Stake President Charles O. Card received permission from Church President John Taylor to investigate colonizing opportunities in southwestern Canada.
Today, more than 190,000 Latter-day Saints are spread throughout 496 congregations in Canada.
Africa
Total Church Membership
1 046 270
Members
3 220
Congregations
Missions
54Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
8Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1 343 071
Members
2 192
Congregations
Missions
51Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
11Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
528 704
Members
1 280
Congregations
Missions
38Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9 807 340
Members
18 501
Congregations
Missions
187Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
135Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
629 697
Members
1 306
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
12Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4 517 233
Members
5 547
Congregations
