Product Code Database
Rey Lucero Pratt (October 11, 1878 – April 14, 1931) was an American religious leader. He served as a general authority and as a mission president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served for six years as a general authority and for 23 years as president of the church's Mexican Mission. Pratt helped establish the church in Mexico and among Spanish language populations in the United States and Argentina. He also translated LDS Church materials into Spanish, wrote magazine articles, and spoke several times in the church's general conference.
Pratt has at times been called the father of the Mexican Mission.Garr, Arnold K. et al. Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint history. p. 942
He married Mary "May" Stark on 8 August 1900 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were the parents of ten children.
Mexico's political climate, however, gradually worsened. Porfirio Diaz, Mexico's longtime dictator, lost control of the government and the Mexican Revolution ensued. Shortly after serious fighting began in Mexico City in 1913, the church's First Presidency authorized the Pratts and the American missionaries to return to the United States. The Pratts moved to Salt Lake City in September 1913 and led the mission via letters from afar. Two years later, the First Presidency again instructed the Pratts to move, this time to Manassa, Colorado, and establish missionary work among Mexicans in the United States. After five years, in November 1918, church leaders moved the mission headquarters to El Paso, Texas, making it closer to the center of the vast mission territory.
In March 1921, Pratt reopened missionary work in Mexico with eight missionaries. In November, jurisdiction of the Juárez Stake in Chihuahua was transferred to the Mexican Mission. This made Pratt president of all the church's Spanish-speaking organizations. He continued to expand the mission, opening up work in southern California in 1924 and establishing a branch in Los Angeles.
In their first week in Argentina, the missionaries baptized six people who had been awaiting their arrival. They also held their first sacrament meeting. They expected to have continued success among the German people and Italy immigrants, but the work soon became much more difficult. After a few weeks of hardships, the missionaries shifted their attention to the Spanish-speaking areas of Buenos Aires. They preached mostly in those areas until their departure for the United States in July 1926.
The final years of Pratt's life were busy, and the constant traveling gradually wore him down. Just after the April 1931 general conference, Pratt stayed in Salt Lake City to undergo a hernia operation. While recovering in the hospital, Pratt experienced complications. His condition quickly deteriorated, and he died on 14 April 1931. State of Utah Death Certificate He left behind his wife and ten living children. On 17 April, his funeral was held in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Grant and other general authorities spoke at the service. They expressed regret that Pratt had not lived to see the church grow large in Mexico.
Pratt was responsible for creating a new translation of the Book of Mormon into Spanish and was working on translating the Doctrine and Covenants when he died. He also translated many of the hymns of the church into Spanish. Eduardo Balderas, who had been mentored by Pratt, carried on a considerable amount of this work after Pratt's death. (2025). 9781560855170, Signature Books. ISBN 9781560855170
|
|
