President Nelson to rededicate Washington DC Temple
Aug 3, 2022, 11:50 AM
FILE: The Washington DC Temple. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
SALT LAKE CITY — The renovated Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be rededicated on Sunday, Aug. 14, by President Russell M. Nelson.
The temple will be dedicated in three sessions — 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Joining President Nelson at the dedication will be President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency; Elders Quentin L. Cook and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé; Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Presidency of the Seventy; Sister Amy A. Wright of the Primary General Presidency; and Elders W. Mark Bassett, Kevin R. Duncan, Allen D. Haynie and Vai Sikahema of the Seventy.
The Washington D.C. Temple, the Church’s 16th in operation, was announced in 1968 and dedicated six years later by President Spencer W. Kimball.
The temple was closed in 2018 to renovate mechanical and electrical systems and refresh finishes and furnishing.
Church leaders originally planned to rededicate the temple in December 2020, but that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The temple opened its doors to the public for the first time in over 50 years during an open house that began in April.
The First Presidency extended the open house and moved the rededication from June to August due to historic demand to participate in the open house.
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The iconic 288-foot-tall, 156,558-square-foot building sits on 52 acres of land and can be seen along the Capitol Beltway in Kensington, Maryland, 10 miles from the U.S. Capitol.
“If you are from this area, it’s famous,” said John Kelly, a metro columnist at The Washington Post. “And the way the temple is situated, it seems to float above these trees.”
“From the outside, everyone sees (the temple) on the (Capital) Beltway, and it’s bright at night and it’s beautiful. But it’s even more beautiful on the inside,” David Oryang, a local Church leader in the Washington D.C. Temple district said.
