Difference between revisions of "Yorba Linda California Temple"

Revision as of 09:47, 20 June 2022

A revised rendering of the Yorba Linda California Temple. Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

On 4 April 2021, at the 191st annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Yorba Linda California Temple.

More than 750,000 Latter-day Saints, in more than 1,230 congregations of the Church, reside in California, with 21,000-plus in the Yorba Linda temple district. Yorba Linda, California, is a suburban city in the United States about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, named after the Yorba family that owned a 63,000-acre ranch in the early 1800s. Mormon pioneer setters first arrived in California in 1846 and the Mormon Battalion concluded their famous 2,080-mile march in San Diego in 1847.

The Yorba Linda California Temple will be the ninth temple built in California and the second constructed in Orange County, following the Newport Beach California Temple (2005). Other temples in the Golden State include the Feather River California Temple, Fresno California Temple, Los Angeles California Temple, Newport Beach California Temple, Oakland California Temple, Redlands California Temple, Sacramento California Temple, and the San Diego California Temple.

On 15 July 2021, the location for the Yorba Linda California Temple was announced as a 5.4-acre site at the intersection of Bastanchury Road and Osmond Street where an existing Church meetinghouse and baseball field are located. Plans call for a single-story building of approximately 30,000 square feet. The property is situated on a major thoroughfare near the Imperial Highway, making it easily accessible for Orange County Saints in the area.

On 17 September 2021, the official exterior rendering was released for the Yorba Linda California Temple.

Groundbreaking Date Announced for Yorba Linda California Temple

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the groundbreaking date for the Yorba Linda California Temple. Attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony will be by invitation only.

Groundbreaking for the Yorba Linda California Temple is scheduled for Saturday, 18 June 2022. Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s North America West Area, will preside.

New Rendering for the Yorba Linda California Temple is Released

Due to permitting and zoning requirements, a revised rendering has been released for the Yorba Linda California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The First Presidency approved the image and the Church released it on the official website on Friday, 10 June 2022. The original rendering was released in September 2021.

The redesign of the temple focuses on the spire, which has been lowered and moved from the center of the building to just above the entrance.

Groundbreaking Ceremony is Held for the Yorba Linda California Temple

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Yorba Linda California Temple on Saturday, 18 June 2022. Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church's North America West Area. presided at the event. Once the construction of the temple is complete, Orange County, California, will be the home of two Latter-day Saint temples, with the first being the Newport Beach California Temple.

Outside of the Pioneer corridor — the area in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona settled by early Latter-day Saints in the late 1800s — Elder Bragg, said, "there is not another county in North America that will have two temples within its borders." Elder Bragg also commented, "It is unique and a manifestation of the growth of the Church in this part of the Lord’s vineyard."

The ceremony included remarks by members of local congregations and a children's choir sang "I Love to See the Temple". A news release about the event was also published on the Church Newsroom site.

During his remarks, Elder Bragg, said, "It is an honor to be here on this beautiful California summer day to dedicate this site for the construction of a sacred temple — a house of, and unto, the Lord." Referencing the motto for the City of Yorba Linda — "Land of gracious living" — Elder Bragg promised "that this house of the Lord will represent the highest in gracious living and those who enter will leave with a higher commitment to gracious living. … We commit to being neighbors of gracious living."

In the dedicatory prayer, Elder Bragg, said, "May this day connect us in a very personal way with eternity and with our departed ancestors. We pray for Thy spirit to pour down on this area that we might dedicate our efforts to stay on the covenant path and to help others enter and stay on that path."

The Yorba Linda California Temple will be built about 22 miles north of the Newport Beach California Temple, which was dedicated in 2005 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The new temple will be the fourth in the metropolitan area — joining temples in Los Angeles and Redlands — and the ninth in the state.

Temples in California

• Bakersfield California Temple
• Feather River California Temple
• Fresno California Temple
• Los Angeles California Temple
• Modesto California Temple
• Newport Beach California Temple
• Oakland California Temple
• Redlands California Temple
• Sacramento California Temple
• San Diego California Temple
• San Jose California Temple
• Yorba Linda California Temple