Groundbreaking dates announced for two new Utah temples
Aug 14, 2020, 8:16 AM
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints )
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Renderings and groundbreaking dates for the Taylorsville Utah and Red Cliffs Utah temples have been announced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The church announced on Thursday it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Taylorsville Utah Temple in October. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the ceremony.
St. George native Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the Red Cliffs Utah Temple (previously known as the Washington County Temple) groundbreaking in November.
Attendance at the groundbreaking ceremonies is by invitation only the church says, due to local government social distancing guidelines.
Taylorsville temple groundbreaking and details
In Taylorsville, the three-story 70,000 square foot building will be built on a 7.5-acre lot at 2603 West 4700 South.
St. George temple groundbreaking and details
In St. George, the three-story 90,000 square foot building will be built on a 14-acre site near 3000 East 1580 South in St. George. The Red Cliffs temple will also be the second temple in St. George, making St. George the third city in Utah to have two temples. Additionally, St. George is home to the very first Latter-day Saint Temple in Utah, dedicated in 1877 and closed last year for an extensive renovation that will last until 2022.
According to the church, there are more than 2.1 million Latter-day Saints in Utah, which account for nearly two-thirds of the state’s 3.2 million population.
“Each temple is considered a ‘house of the Lord’ where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man,” the church said in a statement.
Currently, Utah has 24 temples in various stages of construction and operation.
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