100-Year-Old Prophet Dedicates 200th Temple

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Deseret Peak Utah Temple in an afternoon session on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

“When I contemplate the privilege of dedicating the Deseret Peak Utah Temple this weekend, I am filled with awe at all the Lord is doing for His people,” President Nelson said. “When I was born, there were just six operating temples in the Church. The Deseret Peak Temple will be the 200th in the world. Just think of it! It took the Church until the year 2000 to dedicate the first 100 temples, and now, just 24 years later, we are dedicating the second 100. The Lord is truly hastening His work. I am filled with gratitude for the Lord’s mercy in guiding us to bring temples closer to members of the Church throughout the world.”

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The Deseret Peak Utah Temple is located in Tooele, Utah, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. President Nelson first announced this new house of the Lord in April 2019.

“I hope that our members in the Deseret Peak temple district will not just treasure the addition of a beautiful building to their community but will arrange their lives so that they worship and serve in the House of the Lord as regularly as possible,” he said. “The temple is a place of peace and power, and spending time there will literally change a person’s life.”

A dedicatory ceremony was held and broadcast to all congregations in the temple district. President Nelson was joined by his wife, Wendy, and Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Lesa.

“When we think about what's happening today, this is really unprecedented in several respects,” said Elder Stevenson. “The first, of course, is that we have a 100-year-old prophet of the Lord in this dispensation dedicating a temple, so that alone is really special, and you add to that the 200th temple in this dispensation being dedicated by our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.”

In his dedicatory remarks, President Nelson made multiple promises to those who enter the house of the Lord.

“I promise you today that your time in the temple will bless your life in ways nothing else can,” he said. “My promise to you is that as you sincerely seek Jesus Christ, you will find Him in the temple. This is His house! You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.”

Temples in Utah and Worldwide

There are 367 temples in operation, under construction or announced around the world.

“[President Nelson] invites us to attend the temple as our circumstances permit,” said Elder Stevenson. “Now, with 367 temples around the world, members of the Church have circumstances that are going to allow them to attend the temple. When those temples are completed, 95% of the members of the Church will live within 2 hours or 200km of the temple. That is something that to me is an indication of Heavenly Father's love for his children and President Nelson's love for each one of us.”

The Deseret Peak Utah Temple is one of the Church of Jesus Christ’s 31 houses of the Lord announced, dedicated or under construction or renovation in Utah. The others are the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Ephraim, Heber Valley, Jordan River, Layton, Lehi, Lindon, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Price, Provo City Center, Provo Utah Rock Canyon, Red Cliffs, Salt Lake, Saratoga Springs, Smithfield, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville, Vernal and West Jordan Temples.

Utah, the Church’s world headquarters, is home to nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints, approximately two-thirds of the state’s population of 3.4 million.

Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ are different from meetinghouses or chapels where members gather for Sunday worship services. A temple is considered a house of the Lord, where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other sacred agreements that unite families for eternity.

Church News Read President Nelson’s prayer to dedicate the Deseret Peak Utah Temple