Solemn Assembly, Hosanna Shout Announced For Sunday Morning Session
Apr 4, 2020, 10:35 AM | Updated: 11:43 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Sunday morning session of general conference has been announced as a solemn assembly, when President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint will lead members in the Hosanna Shout.
The announcement was made at the beginning of the Saturday morning session as President Nelson opened the conference talking about the many changes made by Church leaders as a result of the coronavirus global pandemic.
After speaking about the unique setting, he talked about his hope that the April 2020 conference would be memorable because of more than the social distancing and temporary changes made across the world.
“We pray that this conference will be memorable and unforgettable because of the messages you will hear, the unique announcements which will be made, and the experiences in which you will be invited to participate,” he said.
President @NelsonRussellM announced a worldwide solemn assembly and sacred Hosanna Shout to take place during the Sunday morning session of #GeneralConference. https://t.co/sU3dCTIWZ3
— The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (@Ch_JesusChrist) April 4, 2020
The Church has conducted solemn assemblies at multiple times during its history. They have been reserved as “sacred, spiritual meetings held for a variety of holy purposes,” according to a statement released by the church.
The last solemn assembly was held two years ago in the April 2018 conference, when church members sustained President Nelson as the faith’s next prophet and leader after the death of President Thomas S. Monson four months earlier.
During the October 2019 conference, President Nelson said the April conference would be unlike any other, and would heavily feature a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Church founder Joseph Smith’s “First Vision.”
The Hosanna Shout was announced for the end of the Sunday morning session, and will be conducted as an expression of global unity.
“We will convene a worldwide solemn assembly when I will lead you in the sacred Hosanna Shout. We pray that this will be a spiritual highlight for you as we express in global unison our profound gratitude to God the Father and His Beloved Son by praising Them in this unique way,” he said.