In 1874, Melitón González Trejo, an officer in the Spanish army, came to Utah to learn more about the “group of Saints” he had heard about from a fellow officer. He was soon baptized and became indispensable to the work of translating the Book of Mormon into Spanish, which opened doors to the preaching of the gospel in Latin America.
The first members of the Church in Spain were baptized during the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, non-Catholic religious ceremonies were illegal, so most converts traveled to France to be baptized. The Church in Spain grew as new members shared the gospel with their family and friends. After the law granting religious freedom was passed in 1967, an independent Spanish branch was organized in Madrid. The Church was legally recognized in October 1968.
Today, more than 59,000 Saints across Spain are “remembering without ceasing [their] work of faith, and labour of love” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). They have been honored by their communities for their examples of service and faith, and they actively advance the work of the Lord by sharing the gospel and serving in the temple.
