Difference between revisions of "Orem Utah Temple"
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There are 26 [[Stake|stakes]] organized in the densely populated community of Orem, located between the [[Provo Utah Temple]] and [[Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple]]. Attendance is very high at these two temples, which were nearly running at capacity before the [[Payson Utah Temple]] and [[Provo City Center Temple]] were dedicated. The construction of the [[Saratoga Springs Utah Temple]], the [[Lindon Utah Temple]], and Orem Utah Temple will further alleviate demands on these temples and provide more opportunities for temple service among the Saints in Utah County. In 2024, President Nelson announced that a temple would be built in nearby [[Lehi Utah Temple|Lehi]]. | There are 26 [[Stake|stakes]] organized in the densely populated community of Orem, located between the [[Provo Utah Temple]] and [[Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple]]. Attendance is very high at these two temples, which were nearly running at capacity before the [[Payson Utah Temple]] and [[Provo City Center Temple]] were dedicated. The construction of the [[Saratoga Springs Utah Temple]], the [[Lindon Utah Temple]], and Orem Utah Temple will further alleviate demands on these temples and provide more opportunities for temple service among the Saints in Utah County. In 2024, President Nelson announced that a temple would be built in nearby [[Lehi Utah Temple|Lehi]]. | ||
| − | The Orem Utah Temple is the twenty-second temple built in Utah and the sixth built in Utah County, following the [[Provo Utah Temple]] (1972), the [[Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple]] (1996), the [[Payson Utah Temple]] (2015), the [[Provo City Center Temple]] (2016), and the [[Saratoga Springs Utah Temple]] (2023). The [[Lindon Utah Temple]] groundbreaking was held on April 23, 2022, and the temple is expected to be completed mid-2025. The Church | + | The Orem Utah Temple is the twenty-second temple built in Utah and the sixth built in Utah County, following the [[Provo Utah Temple]] (1972, now under reconstruction), the [[Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple]] (1996), the [[Payson Utah Temple]] (2015), the [[Provo City Center Temple]] (2016), and the [[Saratoga Springs Utah Temple]] (2023). The [[Lindon Utah Temple]] groundbreaking was held on April 23, 2022, and the temple is expected to be completed mid-2025. The Church dedicated the [[Taylorsville Utah Temple|Taylorsville temple]] and the [[Layton Utah Temple|Layton temple]] in June 2024. |
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A fire broke out inside the Orem Utah Temple just before midnight on July 25, 2022. Flames became visible inside to nearby neighbors and motorists. The first arriving fire crews found "very light smoke" and "minimal" fire activity in a utility room on the third floor, which was quickly extinguished with foam to prevent water damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered up to $5,000 for information about the fire, which, after an investigation, was considered a case of arson. The temple was completed by fall 2023.[https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/7/26/23279692/fire-breaks-out-inside-orem-latter-day-saint-temple-lds-church-utah-emergency][https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/9/6/23339565/atf-arson-orem-utah-temple-cash-reward-for-information-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints] | A fire broke out inside the Orem Utah Temple just before midnight on July 25, 2022. Flames became visible inside to nearby neighbors and motorists. The first arriving fire crews found "very light smoke" and "minimal" fire activity in a utility room on the third floor, which was quickly extinguished with foam to prevent water damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered up to $5,000 for information about the fire, which, after an investigation, was considered a case of arson. The temple was completed by fall 2023.[https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/7/26/23279692/fire-breaks-out-inside-orem-latter-day-saint-temple-lds-church-utah-emergency][https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/9/6/23339565/atf-arson-orem-utah-temple-cash-reward-for-information-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints] | ||
| − | == | + | ==Open House and Dedication== |
A public open house began on Friday, October 27, and continued through Saturday, December 16, 2023, excluding Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. A media day was held on Monday, October 23, 2023, after which invited guests toured the temple from Tuesday, October 24, through Thursday, October 26. | A public open house began on Friday, October 27, and continued through Saturday, December 16, 2023, excluding Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. A media day was held on Monday, October 23, 2023, after which invited guests toured the temple from Tuesday, October 24, through Thursday, October 26. | ||
| − | Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] dedicated the Orem Utah Temple on Sunday, January 21, just seven days after he dedicated the [[Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple]] on January 14. | + | Elder [[D. Todd Christofferson]] of the [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]] dedicated the Orem Utah Temple on Sunday, January 21, 2024, just seven days after he dedicated the [[Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple]] on January 14. |
Elder Christofferson was accompanied by his wife, Katherine. Also participating were Elder [[Patrick Kearon]] of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Jennifer; Elder [[Hugo E. Martinez]], General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, and his wife, Nuria; Elder [[Kevin R. Duncan]], General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Nancy; and Elder [[Jonathan S. Schmitt]], General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Alexis. | Elder Christofferson was accompanied by his wife, Katherine. Also participating were Elder [[Patrick Kearon]] of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Jennifer; Elder [[Hugo E. Martinez]], General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, and his wife, Nuria; Elder [[Kevin R. Duncan]], General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Nancy; and Elder [[Jonathan S. Schmitt]], General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Alexis. | ||
Latest revision as of 12:58, 26 September 2024
On 5 October 2019, during his closing remarks at the General Women's Session of the 189th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced that a temple would be built in Orem, Utah. At the time of the announcement, Utah had 17 operating temples. Utah has 30 temples announced, under construction, under renovation, or in operation in the state. As of April 7, 2024, the Church has 350 temples dedicated, under construction, or announced worldwide.
On Wednesday, 24 June 2020, the First Presidency of the Church released an exterior rendering of the Orem Utah Temple and announced groundbreaking dates.
Plans include a three-story edifice of 71,998 square feet with a center spire. A 20,000-square-foot meetinghouse is to be constructed on the temple site as well. On 11 December 2019, the location of the Orem Utah Temple was announced as a 16-acre site on the east end of the site next to FrontRunner at approximately 1471 S. Geneva Road, west of Interstate 15 and south of University Parkway, within close proximity to the Provo Utah Temple and Provo City Center Temple, as well as the campuses of Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.
There are 26 stakes organized in the densely populated community of Orem, located between the Provo Utah Temple and Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. Attendance is very high at these two temples, which were nearly running at capacity before the Payson Utah Temple and Provo City Center Temple were dedicated. The construction of the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple, the Lindon Utah Temple, and Orem Utah Temple will further alleviate demands on these temples and provide more opportunities for temple service among the Saints in Utah County. In 2024, President Nelson announced that a temple would be built in nearby Lehi.
The Orem Utah Temple is the twenty-second temple built in Utah and the sixth built in Utah County, following the Provo Utah Temple (1972, now under reconstruction), the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple (1996), the Payson Utah Temple (2015), the Provo City Center Temple (2016), and the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple (2023). The Lindon Utah Temple groundbreaking was held on April 23, 2022, and the temple is expected to be completed mid-2025. The Church dedicated the Taylorsville temple and the Layton temple in June 2024.
Contents
Groundbreaking Ceremony for Orem Utah Temple
On Saturday, 5 September 2020, a small group of invited guests gathered for the groundbreaking of the Orem Utah Temple. According to a news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the number of attendees was limited due to local government restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, who grew up and maintains a residence in Orem, joined other dignitaries, including Utah Valley University President Astrid S. Tuminez, Orem Mayor Richard Brunst, and Vineyard Mayor Julie Fullmer in turning over the first ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt, Construction of the temple began in earnest on Tuesday, 8 September 2020.
Elder William K. Jackson, a General Authority Seventy said, by way of the news release: "This temple will be a place of personal revelation and learning. It will be a refuge, a sanctuary of peace in an often cluttered and noisy world. It will serve to mend, help, strengthen and encourage all who come here to worship and be edified."
Elder Craig C. Christensen, the Church's Utah Area President, presided at the event. He said, "In recent months we’ve experienced what the scriptures refer to as 'an overflowing scourge for a desolating sickness that shall cover the land.' Today is a perfect time for all of us to look to the future with hope and gladness as we prepare to worship, to serve, and to receive ordinances in the new Orem Utah Temple."
During the ceremony, Elder William K. Jackson of the Quorum of the Seventy, said, "It will be in this temple where we will have the opportunity to serve, to be responsible for others, and selflessness will be the result. We will gain a greater love for our ancestors and heighten our sense of belonging." At the end of the ceremony, Elder Christensen offered a dedicatory prayer on the temple site, blessing the land and those who will work on the construction.
The temple will have acoustical treatments on the interior and exterior to drown out outside noise. Elder Christensen remarked, "People worry about the freeway. I see 700,000 cars that are going to see the temple every day, and the train going by every 30 minutes, and to me the temple will be a reminder. This structure will be defining, and I think it's amazing to have it in this location."
Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, commented, "There’s never been a time when we need more spiritual insight than today. The world has got a lot of challenges, over and above just a pandemic. We have a civil discourse that’s not becoming, and I think that’s probably not what Heavenly Father would like us to be in how we treat each other." He also said the Orem Utah Temple will be a place of refuge and a beacon of peace.
Fire
A fire broke out inside the Orem Utah Temple just before midnight on July 25, 2022. Flames became visible inside to nearby neighbors and motorists. The first arriving fire crews found "very light smoke" and "minimal" fire activity in a utility room on the third floor, which was quickly extinguished with foam to prevent water damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered up to $5,000 for information about the fire, which, after an investigation, was considered a case of arson. The temple was completed by fall 2023.[1][2]
Open House and Dedication
A public open house began on Friday, October 27, and continued through Saturday, December 16, 2023, excluding Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. A media day was held on Monday, October 23, 2023, after which invited guests toured the temple from Tuesday, October 24, through Thursday, October 26.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Orem Utah Temple on Sunday, January 21, 2024, just seven days after he dedicated the Lima Peru Los Olivos Temple on January 14.
Elder Christofferson was accompanied by his wife, Katherine. Also participating were Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Jennifer; Elder Hugo E. Martinez, General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the Utah Area Presidency, and his wife, Nuria; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Nancy; and Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Alexis.
Elder Christofferson noted that Latter-day Saints first entered the Orem area when Brigham Young sent several dozen families to establish Fort Utah along the Provo River in 1849.
- The city wasn’t named until 1919, when “Orem” was chosen in honor of Walter C. Orem, who was president of the electric railroad than ran between Salt Lake and Provo.
- Ten years later, Elder Stephen L Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles created Orem’s first stake, the Sharon Stake. “Explosive” population growth led to many more stakes and to the creation of the Utah Orem Mission.
- Orem is also known for its history of fruit growing, as documented by Ronald Stoddard, historian for the Orem temple’s dedication committee. After 1919, when residents named the settlement Orem, trainloads of fruit traveled on Walter Orem’s railroad, earning the area the nickname “Garden City of Utah.”
- Much of the temple’s interior design is a nod to this legacy of fruit growing, with a cherry tree motif — including its blossoms, leaves, fruit and branches — being particularly prominent.[3]
The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to all units in the Orem Utah Temple district.
Picture Gallery of Orem Utah Temple
Exterior view of the Orem Utah Temple
Metal handles and stained glass inserts of a Orem Utah Temple entrance door
Recommend desk of the Orem Utah Temple
Waiting area for patrons in the Orem Utah Temple
Baptistry of the Orem Utah Temple
The baptistry of the Orem Utah Temple rests on the backs of 12 oxen
Orem Utah Temple celestial room
Chandelier in the Orem Utah Temple celestial room
Brides room in the Orem Utah Temple
Sealing room in the Orem Utah Temple
A chandelier in a sealing room of the Orem Utah Temple
The grand staircase of the Orem Utah Temple
The grand staircase of the Orem Utah Temple
Exterior of the Orem Utah Temple
Temples in Utah
- Bountiful Utah Temple
- Brigham City Utah Temple
- Cedar City Utah Temple
- Deseret Peak Utah Temple
- Draper Utah Temple
- Ephraim Utah Temple
- Heber Valley Utah Temple
- Jordan River Utah Temple
- Layton Utah Temple
- Lehi Utah Temple
- Lindon Utah Temple
- Logan Utah Temple
- Manti Utah Temple
- Monticello Utah Temple
- Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple
- Ogden Utah Temple
- Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
- Orem Utah Temple
- Payson Utah Temple
- Price Utah Temple
- Provo City Center Temple
- Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple
- Red Cliffs Utah Temple
- Salt Lake Temple
- Saratoga Springs Utah Temple
- Smithfield Utah Temple
- St. George Utah Temple
- Syracuse Utah Temple
- Taylorsville Utah Temple
- Vernal Utah Temple
- West Jordan Utah Temple
External Links
- Official Orem Utah Temple page
- Orem Utah Temple page
- Orem Utah Temple dedicatory prayer
- What is the Purpose of the Temple
- What Are Temples?
- Church News, “Inside Church Headquarters: The location, design and construction of Latter-day Saint temples
- FamilySearch RootsTech, Temple Invitation by Russell M. Nelson
- What I learned at the Orem Utah Temple groundbreaking that will forever change my temple worship
