The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited several finished rooms in the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, May 8, 2026.
President Dallin H. Oaks was joined by his wife, Kristen, along with his First Counselor, Henry B. Eyring, and Second Counselor, D. Todd Christofferson, and his wife, Kathy.
President Oaks noted that this tour came as he recovers from recent hip replacement surgery. He expressed gratitude to the doctors who attended to him during the April 15 surgery and noted the tour was a welcome part of his ongoing recovery, which doctors indicated normally lasts from three to four months and allows him to continue to perform office and other assignments.
- Members of the First Presidency and the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tour the celestial room of the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, May 8, 2026. From left to right: Bishop L. Todd Budge, President Henry B. Eyring, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, President Dallin H. Oaks, Bishop Sean Douglas, and President D. Todd Christofferson.
- President Dallin H. Oaks (left) and President Henry B. Eyring (right) of the First Presidency look at a stained-glass depiction of the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, May 8, 2026.
- President Dallin H. Oaks (right) and President Henry B. Eyring (left) of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tour the Salt Lake Temple assembly room on Friday, May 8, 2026.
- President D. Todd Christofferson (left) of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints greets members of the Presiding Bishopric during a tour of the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, May 8, 2026.
- President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tours the celestial room of the Salt Lake Temple on Friday, May 8, 2026.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“The opportunity to tour the temple today was a welcome chance to be with my brothers in the First Presidency in a place we cherish,” President Oaks said. “I have been looking forward to this opportunity to see firsthand the progress of this important project.”
For Latter-day Saints, temples are houses of the Lord where individuals make sacred covenants with God and draw closer to Jesus Christ. The ongoing renovation of the Salt Lake Temple reflects the Church’s commitment to preserving these sacred spaces while helping people better understand their eternal purpose.
The visit by the First Presidency comes as work on the historic temple nears completion ahead of the Salt Lake Temple Celebration scheduled for April 5 through October 1, 2027.
“Above all,” President Oaks said, “we look forward to teaching about the sacred purposes of temples throughout the world. In the temple, faithful men and women receive divine instruction, sacred responsibilities, and spiritual power. It is in the temple that eternal covenants are made that bind us and our families to our Heavenly Father and to one another for eternity.”
While the temple itself is not yet open to the public, a new Temple Square Visitors’ Center will begin welcoming guests on May 18, 2026. The center includes an “Inside a Temple” experience designed to help visitors better understand the purpose of temples and their role in Latter-day Saints’ worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
More reservations for the “Inside a Temple” tour will be released beginning June 1, with additional availability added every other Monday. Guests can reserve tickets online or through the Temple Square app.
