Cleveland Ohio Temple
The Cleveland Ohio Temple was among those announced by President Russell M. Nelson during the April 2022 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Cleveland is located along the southern shore of Lake Erie and is located about 20 miles from the Church’s first temple in Kirtland. The temple in Kirtland was dedicated in 1836, and ceased to operate as a temple in the late 1830s after the Saints were forced to leave the area. The property was owned by the Community of Christ until March 5, 2024, when the responsibility and ownership of the Kirtland Temple "officially transferred from Community of Christ to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for an agreed-upon amount."[1]
This will be the state’s second temple. The Columbus Ohio Temple was dedicated in September 1999 and was rededicated in 2023 after a two-year renovation. There are more than 63,000 Latter-day Saints in approximately 125 congregations in Ohio.[2]
Location
The Cleveland Ohio Temple is currently in the planning stages. It will be built at Brecksville Rd., south of Longano Dr., Independence, Cuyahoga County, Ohio 44131. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 9,900 square feet.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Groundbreaking services for the Cleveland Ohio Temple were held on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, First Counselor in the North America Northeast Area Presidency, presided.
During the dedicatory prayer, Elder Sikahema expressed gratitude for the early Latter-day Saints who gathered in Kirtland, Ohio, when the Church of Jesus Christ was “in its fledgling infancy” and “not yet a year old.”
“Holy Father, we stand here now nearly two centuries from those difficult days, blessed because Thy people followed the Prophet Joseph to this great land of Ohio.”
Early Latter-day Saints gathered in Ohio and built the Kirtland Temple, which is now a State Historical Site that is open for public tours.
Referring to Ohio as “a special place in the history of Thy restored gospel,” Elder Sikahema prayed for members of the Cleveland Ohio Temple district, to be blessed and “endowed with power from on high.”
“We ask Thee to bless the rising generation of this great area,” he said, expressing gratitude for the participation of the youth in the program. “May they be equal to what is expected of them at Thy hands.”[3]
External Links
- Official Cleveland Ohio Temple page
- Cleveland Ohio Temple page
- FamilySearch RootsTech, Temple Invitation by Russell M. Nelson
Temple Videos
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