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Revision as of 15:30, 10 November 2024

Deseret Peak Utah Temple. ©2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

On November 10, 2024, the 200th temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be dedicated. In the October 2024 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson said, "My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.

"Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!"[1]

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple was originally announced as the Tooele Valley Utah Temple in April 2019 by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The temple’s name became the Deseret Peak Utah Temple on January 19, 2021. 

Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Elder Brook P. Hales of the Quorum of the Seventy conducted the groundbreaking service and offered the dedicatory prayer.

This new house of the Lord is nearly 72,000 square feet and sits on a 15.5-acre site at 2400 North 400 West Tooele, Utah. 

Utah, the Church’s world headquarters, is home to nearly 2.3 million Latter-day Saints, approximately two-thirds of the state’s population of 3.4 million people. The Deseret Peak Utah Temple is one of the Church of Jesus Christ’s 31 houses of the Lord dedicated, under construction or renovation, or announced in Utah.

The Salt Lake Temple

While certain areas of Temple Square remain closed for renovation, visitors can enjoy the Conference Center, Tabernacle, Church History Museum, Church History Library and FamilySearch Library and the newly renovated Main Street and Church Office Building plazas. Renovation work on the Salt Lake Temple’s six spires is complete, with scaffolding now removed to reveal the restored towers atop the temple.

The Salt Lake Temple was decommissioned on 5 January 2020 and the extensive renovation is expected to be completed by 2026.

The Kirtland Temple

A joint statement from the Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was released on March 5, 2024:

Today, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the responsibility and ownership for the Kirtland Temple, several historic buildings in Nauvoo, and various manuscripts and artifacts officially transferred from Community of Christ to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for an agreed-upon amount. Together, we share an interest in and reverence for these historic sites and items and are committed to preserving them for future generations.[2]

“We are deeply honored to assume the stewardship of these sacred places, documents, and artifacts,” said Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We thank our friends at Community of Christ for their great care and cooperation in preserving these historical treasures thus far. We are committed to doing the same.”[3]

Included in the transfer are original elements of the Kirtland Temple, including an oval window frame, front door keystone and frame, stone arch, windows, and pieces of original stucco and sandstone.[4]

The Kirtland Temple will remain an historic building. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reopened it on March 25, 2024, for public tours at no charge.