Hello again, everyone! Another week has come and gone, and it is time once again to discuss the latest temple reopening adjustments from the Church. As always, the latest information can be found in the official release from the Newsroom, the Church News overview of those changes, and the temple reopening status tracker.
This week's updates note that the Mesa Arizona Temple, which was rededicated on Sunday, will reopen in phase 3 as early as December 21. Additionally, rhe Suva Fiji Temple, which was paused in its' rreopening since May of this year, will unpause but also will revert back to phase 1, only allowing living sealings of a previously-enodwed husband-and-wife. That temple joins the San Jose Costa Rica Temple in phase 1.
And the Sydney Australia Temple, which "paused" in its' reopening from mid-July until now will reopen to phase 3, allowing all living ordinances in priority order, and all other ordinances for the dead on a limited scale by appointment only.
As a result of these updates, the status of temples will stand as follows on Tuesday December 21: 8 temples are closed for renovation, with 1 more closed for what the Newsroom terms a "renovation" but for what the Church News calls "extended maintenance". I defer to the Newsroom's terminology because the Church's official page for Medford terms the current closure as a "renovation".
Aside from Medford, the other 8 have all been granted phase 3 designations. No temples are currenrly "paused in their reopenings, and none are in phase 2 either. There is 1 temple in phase 1, 5 others operating in phase 2-B, and the remaining 155 temples are in phase 3. As I've noted in just about every temple reopening update in the last several weeks, I am grateful for the carefully-planned cautiously-coordinated reopening of temples around the world, and for the revelatory process that drives those announcements every week.
Although no temples anywhere have reached phase 4 (a return to full normal operations), it is wonderful the Church has been prudent and wise in the announcements of changes each week. Having noted all of that, it's also worth noting that the newest strain of COVID-19 popping up in various world areas may, in subsequent weeks, lead to other temples being "paused" in their reopenings. I will be sure to watch for any such updates and will pass them along to you all as I become aware thereof.
In the meantime, that does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Hello again, everyone! Consistent with usual tradition, today, two days after President Oaks rededicated the Mesa Arizona Temple, a copy of the text of that rededicatory prayer is now available:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2021-12-14/mesa-temple-rededicatory-prayer-president-oaks-236476
Included in that peayer was the following interesting paragraph: "We give Thee thanks for Thy Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, from whom we have heard in this meeting. Please prolong his life and renew his strength and continue to reveal to him Thy will for the progress of Thy work through Thy Church and among all Thy children."
Although it has not been uncommon for the second most-senior apostle to pray that the life of the current prophet might be prolonged, unique to this prayer was a mention of "hearing from" President Nelson during that dedication. It's the fiest time I know of in which a Chuech President has prerecorded a message for the dedication or rededication of any temples over which the prophet has not personally presided at or attended. My thanks once again to you all.
Another intriguing development was reported by the Newsroom. Apparently, President Oaks returned from his assignment to rededicate the Mesa Arizona Temple, and within the next day or so, he traveled to Rome Italy, where he offered remarks on religious freedom at Sapienza University:
Deletehttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-oaks-rome-religious-freedom-summary
Dome additional soueces adding context to his remarks there today feature the transcripts of two recent addresses he gave on religious freedom, alog with the transcripts of addresses on that subject from two of his apostolic colleagues, Elders Quentin L. Cook and D. Todd Christofferson:
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-oaks-rome-religious-freedom-summary
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-dallin-h-oaks-speech-university-of-virginia
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-dallin-h-oaks-speech-university-of-virginia
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-dallin-h-oaks-speech-university-of-virginia
Don't know id I mentioned this before, but I lovr how muvh our apostles love, support, anf quote ftom one another's remarks, and it rspecially thrills me to srr senior apostles quote from remarks given by the apostles that are junior to them. President Oaks has beecome knoqn in recwnt General Conferences for provifing praase and compliments to sprakers as they conclude their remarks and return to their seats. That's been wonderful to witness. My thanks once again to you all.