LDS Church To Convert The Benemerito De Las Americas School In Mexico City Into A Missionary Training Center

On January 30th, 2013, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it is converting a Church-owned school, Benemerito de las Americas in Mexico City, into a Missionary Training Center (MTC). When it becomes operational in July 2013, it will be the 16th missionary training center operated by the LDS Church worldwide. Official LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy disclosed the information on Wednesday January 30th, saying "Church leaders announced today that the Church-owned high school Benemerito de las Americas near Mexico City will become a training center for missionaries who will serve in Mexico and North, Central and South America...Church leaders made the decision after considering every immediate alternative that could alleviate the demand at the Church's other missionary training centers around the world, including the MTC in Provo, Utah."

Elders Russell M. Nelson and Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles announced the change personally during a meeting at the school on Tuesday January 29th. Although Elder Nelson cited the recent surge in missionary applications as a result of the reduction in age requirements for full-time LDS missionaries, he said the decision was also prompted by the success of 18-year-old missionaries called from Mexico since 1999. The lower 18-year-old age limit for male missionaries called from outside the United States has actually been in force since 1999.

Elder Holland noted the sadness felt by students and families at the announced closure of the school, which was established in 1964 and has been an important educational and cultural resource for Mexican Latter-day Saints, with some 23,000 graduates during its 49-year history, but explained that its new role would be more significant, considering that it will eventually become the Church's second largest MTC. Very little modification will be necessary since it's described as a miniature BYU, with most necessary amenities already in place. There is currently a small MTC adjacent to the Mexico City Temple, but its disposition has not been decided.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the LDS Church chooses not to operate a parochial school network. At one time, the Church owned more than 100 private schools around the world; now only 16 remain, to include two in Fiji, one in Kiribati, one in Mexico (besides Benemerito), four in Samoa, and eight in Tonga. Instead, the LDS Church prefers to supplemental normal education with one hour of seminary for high school students each day. In the Mormon heartland of Utah and southeast Idaho, release-time during the school day is authorized; elsewhere, LDS students attend seminary either before or after school. It's probably just as well the LDS Church stay out of the parochial school business considering how intrusive and rapacious civil rights bureaucracies are trying to force political correctness on other private schools around the United States; the Church won't have to expend valuable time and resources defending against lawsuits by activists who want abortion included in the health care plans for teachers under Obamacare or by other activists who would want to force them to accept openly-gay students. More information about the seminary and institute program is available HERE.

A complete list of the 15 MTCs currently in operation is provided HERE. This list includes the small MTC currently adjacent to the Mexico City Temple.