Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Dedicates Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf dedicated the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — the second house of the Lord in Pennsylvania — in two sessions on Sunday, September 15.

“This temple will be a blessing to you,” said the member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It will enrich your lives, inspire you to create in your homes and families a spirit of hope and peace, and endow you with blessings from on high.”

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The temple is located about 20 miles from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in a suburban area north of Pittsburgh called Cranberry Township. Its landscaping includes a granite bridge, a nod to Pittsburgh’s recognition as the “City of Bridges” for its 446 bridges.

The bridge on the temple grounds connects the new house of the Lord to a nearby meetinghouse. Similarly, “the house of the Lord is here to make covenants which connect us to heaven,” said Elder Uchtdorf. “These bridges, from one side to the other, from earth to heaven, are real.”

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stands on a bridge connecting a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse with the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Photo by Scott G Winterton, courtesy of Church News.Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.

Upon their arrival at the temple grounds, Elder and Sister Uchtdorf paused to greet several individuals and families gathered near the temple’s entrance, including young men and young women placing shoe coverings. Waving to people standing in line, he smiled and said, “Welcome to the temple.”

Elder Uchtdorf was accompanied by his wife, Harriet; Elder Mathias Held, a General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the North America Northeast Area Presidency, and his wife, Irene; and Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Debbie.

Elder Uchtdorf said the Church is strong in Pittsburgh due to the faith and service of many dedicated members. There are three stakes — Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh North and Pittsburgh West — and now a temple.

“These members have worked for this from the very beginning,” the Apostle said. “The Church began not far from here, and it is now stronger than ever in this area.”

Among those who attended the dedication Sunday were Alex and Ronda Yothers and their five children, members of the Greensburg Ward of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Stake.

Alex Yothers, who serves in his ward elders quorum presidency, said he hasn’t been able to attend the temple frequently since he received his endowment more than a decade ago. Now the family is thrilled to have a temple within an hour’s drive instead of the four-hour drive to Washington, D.C.

“Now we can do the Lord’s work more often,” said Ronda Yothers, who serves as ward Young Women president. “We already have an appointment to come next month, and the kids are excited to do temple work. Now we can’t make excuses for being too busy for an eight-hour round trip.”

“It’s wonderful, and to me, almost unbelievable,” said Sylvia Furin, who has prepared hundreds of family names for temple work. “There is a lot of temple work to be done.”

President Russell M. Nelson announced the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple in April 2020. The ground was broken for the temple on August 21, 2021. The public open house was August 16-31, 2024. The temple will serve more than 29,000 Church members in over 80 congregations.

The Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple was dedicated on September 18, 2016. In the April 2023 general conference, President Nelson announced that a third temple in the state will be built in Harrisburg.

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.