With the creation of the new Fairfield stake in Sydney, 14 new stakes and three missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been organised or announced in the last several months in the Pacific Area.  The changes are in response to significant growth in membership in several Pacific countries and the call of tens of thousands of additional full-time missionaries internationally.

Describing Frances J. Monson as a woman who left a “legacy of humility, service, faithfulness and love,” Ann M. Dibb, daughter of Frances J. Monson and Church President Thomas S. Monson, eulogized her mother today at Sister Monson's funeral in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Speaking to what he termed the most influential audience he's ever addressed on the subject, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter­-day Saints, encouraged people of all faiths to unite and “walk shoulder to shoulder on the same path” to strengthen and defend religious freedom.

The funeral of Frances J. Monson, wife of Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at noon on Thursday this week, 23 May.  The public is invited to the funeral service. There will be no public viewing. Additional details will be forthcoming.

This week, the 7th World Congress of Families is being held in Sydney. The program, from Wednesday night 15th May to Saturday afternoon 18th May, features speakers from around the world on issues affecting the modern family and aims to bring emphasis to the natural family in Australia and around the Pacific.