Mormons Break Ground for Historic New Temple

Draper, Utah – President Gordon B. Hinckley, prophet and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, conducted a ground breaking ceremony for an historic new temple.

This is a really remarkable time as we break ground for the twelfth temple in Utah,” Pres. Hinckley told the crowd of church and civic leaders who were present for the historic event. Members believe Hinckley is a prophet of God. Although he is now 96 years old, he appeared to be healthy and strong.

He said many may wonder why there will be 12 temples in Utah.

Because we need them,” he said. “It is a great tribute to our people that they are so faithful in their temple attendance. When dedicated, this will be about the 130th temple in use in the world,” he added.

There are presently 122 temples in operation, with 12 that have been announced or are under construction, according to the Church web site at www.LDS.org.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that a temple is the "House of the Lord." After the completion of a temple it is available for the public to visit the inside as part of an open house.

Latter-day Saints believe that the church formed by Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry has been restored to the earth in preparation for the time when Jesus will return. For the 12 million members around the world, a temple is an essential part of their lives, according to Hinckley.

Sunday worship takes place in Latter-day Saint meetinghouses, or chapels. In temples, faithful members receive instruction about the purpose of life and their relationship to God. They also participate in family-oriented ordinances, both for themselves and in behalf of ancestors. They believe that those sacred ordinances, which are available only in temples, make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all saving ordinances are to be performed on earth on behalf of the dead. Latter-day Saints stand as proxies for their own ancestors in these ceremonies, including baptisms and marriages. The ordinances performed by the living on behalf of the dead are only valid if those ordinances are willingly accepted by each person they are performed for. Members of the Church are taught that they have a religious obligation to trace their own genealogies and perform temple ordinances for their ancestors.

To help members in tracing their genealogies so they can perform ordinances for their ancestors, the Church has microfilmed vital records throughout the world that identify hundreds of millions of persons who have died. The Church provides access to these records through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and in over 3,000 local family history centers. The Church has also developed large databases of genealogical information. Further information about these resources is available on the Internet at www.FamilySearch.org. The records are available for research by people of all faiths free of charge.

We must build temples where people can get to them,” said Hinckley. “They are costly to construct and costly to maintain. Because of faithful tithe-paying Saints, we have the means to do so.”

He quoted from the Doctrine and Covenants 110: 9-10 which was written about the first temple built by the Church in Kirtland, Ohio. He said he read it because it pertained to all temples and he said it is being fulfilled at this time.

Hinckley then offered a dedicatory prayer for the construction of the temple, in which he asked for protection for those who will construct the temple. He then went forward and turned the first shovel of dirt, and was followed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other Church leaders.

Hinckley pointed out that an open house is now underway at the newly completed Sacramento California Temple. The public can tour the inside of a temple prior to it’s dedication and use by members for sacred ordinances. Once a temple is dedicated only faithful members of the Church may enter.

Other temples are in various stages of construction. New temples have been announced in Tegucigalpa Honduras, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Cebu Philippines.