News Release

Raleigh North Carolina Temple Is Rededicated

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are looking forward to returning to the Raleigh North Carolina Temple after its rededication by President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The sacred meeting took place in the temple on Sunday, October 13, 2019. Elder Kevin R. Duncan and Elder James B. Martino of the Seventy assisted in the rededication. The temple will reopen on Tuesday, October 22, 2019.

 

President Ballard encouraged those attending the rededication session to go home and tell their children and grandchildren about it. “When they are old enough, bring them often. This is a safe place for our little ones to come.”

A one-week open house held in September provided the public with an opportunity to see inside the faith’s edifice and learn about why Latter-day Saints attend the temple. Approximately 40,000 people visited the temple.

The Raleigh North Carolina Temple was the 68th operating temple in the world for the Church when it was dedicated on December 18, 1999, by then-President Gordon B. Hinckley. Currently, there are 217 temples in operation and in various stages of construction and renovation along with many that have been announced. President Russell M. Nelson announced eight new temples at general conference on October 5, 2019.

President Ballard shared how the 1999 temple dedication holds special memories for him, as it was the last time his wife, Barbara, accompanied him. She passed away in 2018. “I miss her counsel,” President Ballard said. Speaking to the men specifically in attendance, “We could not do it without our angel women. Do not miss an opportunity to look in your family's and loved one’s eyes and show love. Live each day together with love and gratitude.”

The temple sits nestled among a local forest and evergreen trees in the suburban Wake County community of Apex, roughly 15 miles southwest of the historic colonial city of Raleigh. Adjustments to some of the larger exterior features were made during the remodel: the portico was enclosed, and the tower’s steeple now stands 10 feet taller.

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ from meetinghouses or chapels, where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered houses of the Lord, where Jesus Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man.

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