Yorba Linda California Temple
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 728,000 Latter-day Saints, in more than 1,130 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 settlers 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 Bakersfield California Temple, Feather River California Temple, Fresno California Temple, Los Angeles California Temple, Newport Beach California Temple, Oakland California Temple, Redlands California Temple, Sacramento California Temple, the San Diego California Temple, and the San Jose 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.
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New Rendering for the Yorba Linda California Temple Released
Due to permitting and zoning requirements, a revised rendering has been released for the Yorba Linda California Temple. 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 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.
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 site 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.
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
