SALT LAKE CITY — President Gordon B. Hinckley presided today at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Draper Utah Temple. His counselors in the First Presidency, President Thomas S. Monson and President James E. Faust, also participated. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles conducted the service.
Invited guests were present at the temple site near the Corner Canyon area in the southeastern foothills of the Salt Lake Valley. Proceedings of the groundbreaking were broadcast over the Church satellite system to nearby stake centers to accommodate everyone in the temple district who wished to attend.
The 12th temple for the Church in Utah and the third in the Salt Lake Valley, the Draper Utah Temple was first announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley at the October 2004 general conference of the Church.
The temple will share parking with a stake center already built on the site. Once dedicated and operating, the new temple will relieve overcrowding at the Jordan River Utah Temple.
Prior to dedication, the public will be invited to tour the new temple during an open house period expected to last several weeks.
To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temples are the "house of the Lord," the most sacred place on earth, where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and strengthen their commitment to serve the Savior and their fellowman.
Unlike meetinghouses where Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and closed on Sundays.