Difference between revisions of "Template:Featured Temple"

Revision as of 14:27, 1 February 2022

Washington D.C. Temple

The Washington D.C. Temple was announced on 15 November 1968. It is the 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first temple of the Church to be built on the East Coast of the United States. Elder Hugh B. Brown presided at the groundbreaking and site dedication ceremony, which was held on 7 December 1968. The temple was completed in 1974 and serves Church members in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and New Jersey.

The announcement that a temple was being built was gladly received by the thousands of members who lived east of the Mississippi River and did not have a temple nearby. A very large plot of land on a wooded hill had been purchased in 1962 for the temple, with only eleven acres cleared for the building itself. The rest of the land was left untouched to give the temple a remote feeling.

At 160,000 square feet, the Washington D.C. Temple is the third largest Latter-day Saint temple in the world. It has the tallest tower of any of the Church's temples, at 280 feet. The angel Moroni that sits on top of this tower is eighteen feet tall and weighs two tons. The temple was designed to be similar in style and form to the Salt Lake Temple so that it would be easily recognized as an LDS temple. The exterior finish is constructed of reinforced concrete sheathed in 173,000 square feet of Alabama white marble. There are six ordinance rooms (stationary) and fourteen sealing rooms inside the temple. Another interesting feature is that the temple does not look like it has any windows, but when you go inside you realize that the marble has been cut thin enough in some places that it is translucent.

Temple Location and Free Shuttle Service

The Washington D.C. Temple, located on a serene 52-acre hilltop in Kensington, Maryland, standing on sprawling grounds about 10 miles north of the United States Capitol, creates an impressive sight for travelers along the Capital Beltway. The beauty of the soaring edifice is enhanced by a reflection pond near the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center and a spouting water feature at the temple entrance. Also sharing the 52-acre wooded site is the Washington D.C. Stake Center.

The Washington D.C. Temple Visitors' Center hosts numerous interactive exhibits, a breathtaking reproduction of the Christus statue, and regular lectures and concerts throughout the year. Admission is free. And at Christmastime, the grounds are set aglow during the Festival of Lights, which offers nightly concerts, a live nativity scene, and international nativity sets. A free temple shuttle, funded by donations, is offered to patrons and visitors traveling between the Metro and the Washington D.C. Temple.

First Open House and Temple Dedication

When the construction of the Washington D.C. Temple was completed, the First Presidency buried a metal box with historical items near a corner of the temple.

The temple opened to the public for seven weeks, from 17 September to 2 November 1974, and more than 750,000 visitors toured the edifice. Betty Ford, President Gerald Ford’s wife, was among the high-profile visitors who attended the open house. During the first week of open houses, government officials and diplomats from around the world were taken on special tours through the temple.

The high number of people that attended the open house was due mostly to the large amount of media coverage that the temple and Church received as the temple neared completion. News articles were printed in Time, Newsweek, and World Report. There was also a large press conference held that introduced the temple and Spencer W. Kimball, the Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at that time.

Tickets for the open house were gone before the first day of tours. Because of the high demand, the times of the tours were extended to allow as many people as possible to attend the open house. The times had originally been set from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. but were changed to 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Interest in the Church was so high, that more missionaries were called to the area to answer questions.

The Washington D.C. Temple was dedicated in 10 sessions held from 19-22 November 1974. More than 40,000 members were able to attend the dedicatory services. Then-Church President, Spencer W. Kimball, offered the dedicatory prayer, in which he gave thanks for those who paved the way for the founding of the United States. He said, "We are grateful that thou didst cause this land to be rediscovered and settled by people who founded a great nation with an inspired constitution guaranteeing freedom in which there could come the glorious restoration of the gospel and the Church of thy Beloved Son."

Temple Renovations, 2022 Open House and Temple Rededication Postponed

The Washington D.C. Temple closed in March 2018 for extensive renovations, including an upgrade of the mechanical systems and the refreshing of the finish and furnishings.

The temple was originally scheduled to be rededicated on Sunday, 13 December 2020, in three sessions. Prior to the rededication, a public open house was scheduled to be held from 24 September 2020 through 31 October 2020 (except for 27 September, 3-4, 11, 18 and 25 October). A media day was also scheduled to be held on 15 September 2020, with private tours taking place 16 through 23 September 2020. And a youth devotional was to be held the evening prior to the rededication on Saturday, 12 December 2020.

On Monday, 15 June 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that, because of concern for the effects of COVID-19, the open house, youth devotional, and re-dedication of the Washington D.C. Temple were being postponed until large public gatherings are deemed safe.

Open House and Temple Rededication Rescheduled

On Tuesday, 20 July 2021, in a letter from the First Presidency and shared during a media event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, the following was announced:

A media day for the renovated temple will take place on 18 April 2022, followed by private tours for invited guests from 19 April 2022 to 27 April 2022. A two-month public open house will then begin on 28 April 2022 and go through 4 June 2022 (except for Sundays). This will mark the first time that the public will be able to tour the temple since its 1974 dedication. Open house ticket information is available at dctemple.org. More details about the open house, including reservations, and rededication will be released later. A website — dctemple.org — has been created for open house information.

A youth devotional will be held on 18 June 2022, followed by the temple rededication on 19 June 2022 in three sessions — 9:00 am EST, 12:00 pm EST, and 3:00 pm EST. The youth devotional and rededication will be broadcast for all congregations within the Washington D. C. Temple district.

Aaron Sherinian, director of media for the temple open house committee, said, "This is a great occasion for us to open the doors of the temple for our friends, members of the Washington, D.C., community, people and partners of all faiths and backgrounds to come and join us and to experience the beauty and peace that is the temple of the Lord."

On Friday, 28 January 2022, the Church’s Temple Department released a statement stating that because nearly 50% of the available parking for the initial open house was scheduled in the first two weeks after the announcement of reservations was made, the First Presidency has approved an extension of the open house and has rescheduled the rededication to be on 14 August 2022. The available dates for the extended open house will be published online as soon as they are determined.

The statement said, "Our goal is to invite all to join us to experience the peace, beauty and connection that can be felt in the temple, and to ensure that all who desire to come have a welcoming, safe and orderly experience in this sacred place."

Besides tickets for the on-site parking, online reservations can be made for a free-of-charge shuttle from the Forest Glen Metro Station to the temple grounds on weekday evenings and Saturdays. Public tours last about 45 minutes and will include a self-guided walk throughout the remodeled interior of the temple. The tour includes scaling more than 150 stairs. Comfortable shoes are recommended, and wheelchair and ADA accessibility is available.

Appropriate COVID-19 protocols will be followed per public health recommendations and in cooperation with local authorities.