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    17 January 2024 - SALT LAKE CITY
    Featured Stories

    Open-House Reservations Available for the Red Cliffs Utah Temple in St. George

    Public open house runs Thursday, February 1, through Saturday, March 2, excluding Sundays; reservations are encouraged

    Construction work continues on the new Red Cliffs Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shown Friday, March 24, 2023, in St. George, Utah. Photo by Nick Adams, courtesy of Church News.© All rights reserved.

    This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

    By Christine Rappleye, Church News

    Reservations are now available online to tour the newly built Red Cliffs Utah Temple during the public open house, via reservations.churchofjesuschrist.org.

    The public open house will run from Thursday, February 1, through Saturday, March 2, excluding Sundays. Reservations, which are recommended, are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

    The free tour begins with a short video overview, followed by a walking tour through the temple. Comfortable shoes and modest dress are recommended, and the temple is wheelchair accessible. The tours for the Red Cliffs temple are expected to take about 40 minutes.

    After a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built or has undergone an extensive renovation, it is generally opened for public tours prior to being dedicated or rededicated. After the dedication or rededication, Church members with temple recommends can enter to perform sacred ordinances.

    The Red Cliffs Utah Temple will be dedicated on Sunday, March 24, by President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency. There are two dedicatory sessions, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., which will be broadcast to all units in the Red Cliffs temple district.

    The new Red Cliffs Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shown Friday, March 24, 2023, in St. George, Utah, sits surrounded by a growing city. Photo by Nick Adams, courtesy of Church News.© All rights reserved.

    It’s the second house of the Lord in the St. George area.

    The St. George Utah Temple, first dedicated on April 6, 1877, was rededicated on Dec. 10, 2023, by President Jeffrey R. Holland, a St. George native and acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It was the first pioneer-era temple to be renovated and rededicated following President Russell M. Nelson’s announcement in October 2018 general conference of plans to begin renovating and updating the Church’s pioneer-era temples.

    The Red Cliffs temple was originally referred to as the Washington County Utah Temple when President Nelson announced plans in October 2018 general conference for a second temple in the area. The Washington County name was still in use when the site location — 14 acres northeast of 3000 East and 1580 South in southeastern St. George — and preliminary building size of three stories and approximately 88,000 square feet were published a year later, in November 2019.

    The First Presidency later approved the new name, the Red Cliffs Utah Temple, in June 2020. President Holland presided at the November 7, 2020, groundbreaking.

    The Red Cliffs temple is one of a dozen temple in Utah that will be dedicated or rededicated in the next several years. Utah is home of the Church’s world headquarters and nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints.

    The St. George Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is shown Friday, March 24, 2023, in St. George, Utah. The spire of the new Red Cliffs Utah Temple can be seen rising over the roof of a house on the hill beyond. Photo by Nick Adams, courtesy of Church News.© All rights reserved.

    Utah’s currently operating temples are the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River, Logan, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Payson, Provo, Provo City Center, Saratoga Springs, St. George and Vernal temples.

    Like the St. George temple was, the Salt Lake and Manti temples have been under renovation, with reconstruction of the Provo Utah Temple to begin in late February 2024.

    The new Orem Utah Temple is scheduled for its dedication on January 21. Eight other Utah temples are under construction — Deseret Peak, Ephraim, Heber Valley, Layton, Lindon, Smithfield, Syracuse and Taylorsville.

    Recently Concluded Temple Open Houses

    There are two houses of the Lord where the open houses have concluded and will be dedicated in January.

    Upcoming Temple Open Houses

    Four temple open houses are scheduled.

    • The Manti Utah Temple public open house will be Thursday, March 14, through Friday, April 5, excluding Sunday. It will be rededicated on Sunday, April 21.
    • The public open house for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple will be Friday, March 15, through Saturday, March 30, excluding Sundays. The house of the Lord will be dedicated on April 28, by President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency.
    • The Puebla Mexico Temple public open house will be Friday, March 29, through Saturday, April 20, excluding Sundays, and April 6 for general conference. The house of the Lord will be dedicated on Sunday, May 19, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
    • The public open house for the Layton Utah Temple will be Friday, April 19, through Saturday, June 1, excluding Sundays. The house of the Lord will be dedicated on Sunday, June 16, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

    Information about tour reservations will be available later on reservations.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

    Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company.

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