Since the rules and regulations regarding any down time at my job have tightened up, I was not able to do my daily check of the Church websites I love to visit until I got home from work tonight. When I accessed the LDS Church News website, I was overjoyed to discover the announcement of the open houses and dedication dates for three temples. This post is meant to focus on those details. I will follow up this post with another that will provide any updated version of my temple construction progress report and list of upcoming temple-related events.
First is the Tucson Arizona Temple. The open house for that temple is scheduled for the three week period between the Saturdays of June 3 and 24, with the exception of the Sundays on the 4th, 11th, and 18th. For the first time in several years (if it has ever happened at any time in the past), the end of the open house and the dedication will be separated by just under two months. That is understandable, given the fact that the annual July recess of the General Authorities will take start about a week after the end of the open house. The temple will be dedicated in three sessions on Sunday August 13., following the cultural celebration the day before. On that day, Church services will be cancelled for all units in Arizona. That dedication will bring the number of operating temples in Arizona to six. The temple, announced in October 2012, has been under construction since its groundbreaking in October 2015 by President Uchtdorf. This holds true to the pattern of temples within the United States going up within two years.
Next will be the dedication in Meridian Idaho. The open house is scheduled to last for the four weeks between the Saturdays of October 21 and November 11, except for the Sundays of October 22 and 29 and November 5. After the cultural celebration is held just a week after the open house ends, the temple will be dedicated in three sessions on Sunday November 19, which, if my calculations are correct, will be the Sunday before Thanskgiving. The Saints in Idaho will have much to be thankfful for this year. Announced in April 2011, the temple has been under construction since its groundbreaking in August of 2014 by Elder David A. Bednar, who has ties to the area. Construction spanned slightly more than three years. But given the magnificent edifice that that temple is, that is not surprising. This will be the fifth temple in Idaho.
The final dedication announced will be for the Cedar City Utah Temple. The open house will take place in the four weeks and one day between Friday October 27 and Saturday November 18. After a cultural celebration the day before, the dedication will take place on December 10, exactly one week following Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's 77th birthday. In a move not uncommon anymore for Utah temple dedications, it was announced that dedicatory services will only be broadcast to those that will be within the area that the new temple district will cover, rather than the whole state. Like I said, not uncommon. But I for one was looking forward to being able to attend the next Utah temple dedication, especially as my wife and I missed the landmark dedication of the Provo City Center Temple. The Cedar City Utah Temple will be the 17th in Utah.
For the official news releases covering the dedication information, please click here (Church News) and here (Mormon Newsroom).
These dedications will bring the number of operating temples to 159. It also means that, despite any earlier statements I may have made, I must now admit that I was most likely wrong about the possibility that the Jordan River Utah Temple will be rededicated before the end of this year. That is not by any means a deal-breaker. And it still could happen. But there will only be 2 Sundays after the Cedar City Utah dedication, and one of those will be Christmas Eve. This makes it very unlikely.
I am overjoyed about this wonderful news. It totally made my day. Thanks for reading this. Stay tuned for more. Any comments are always welcome and appreciated.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for 3 Temples
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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