A new addition to the under-construction Indianapolis Indiana Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in place.
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The 400-pound statue of the angel Moroni was lifted in place Friday morning, 17 October 2014.
The angel Moroni statue is delivered carefully wrapped in a wooden crate.
From the bottom of Moroni’s feet to the top of his head, he is seven feet tall. The statue is coated with gold leaf, supported by a steel structure and is 106 feet from the ground.
Once out of the wooden crate, the angel Moroni statue is lifted high in the air as an audience of construction workers, Church leaders and neighbors watch.
Placement of the angel Moroni is one of the early visible highlights of the construction period of a temple. There is no formal ceremony attached to the statue’s placement.
“Moroni is a central figure in the reestablishment of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth,” said Indianapolis North Stake President, David S. Kinard. “As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe Moroni was sent by God to help usher in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ upon the earth.”
Shadows of construction workers during placement of the angel Moroni on top of the Indianapolis Indiana Temple.
The angel Moroni statue is secured in place on the Indianapolis Indiana Temple about 106 feet above the ground.
The temple was announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson in October 2010. There are currently 143 temples in operation throughout the world.
The temple, located in the city of Carmel on the southwest corner of the intersection of W116th and Spring Mill Road, will serve 25,000 Latter-day Saints in Indiana and eastern Illinois.
Church and community leaders broke ground on the temple, Indiana’s first, Saturday, 29 September 2012.
Latter-day Saint temples provide a place where Church members make formal promises and commitments to God and where the highest sacraments of the faith occur, such as the marriage of couples for eternity. Temples differ from the thousands of local meetinghouses where members typically meet for Sunday worship services and midweek social activities.
Although not required, this iconic symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands high atop most of the 143 temples worldwide.
Once the sacred building is complete, the Church will invite the public to tour the temple prior to its dedication.