President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, pictured here with his wife Kristen, rededicated the Mesa Arizona Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Photo credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
MESA, Ariz. — President Dallin. H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, rededicated the Mesa Arizona Temple Sunday.
The dedication came after extensive renovations to the Arizona temple that was first dedicated in 1927 by then Church President Heber J. Grant.
Roughly 2,400 individuals came to the temple for each of Sunday’s three rededication sessions. The sessions were also streamed locally to 29 stake centers in the temple district.
President Oaks and his wife, Kristen, were joined in Sunday’s rededication sessions by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife Susan. Elder Paul B. Pieper, a General Authority Seventy and President of the North America Southwest Area, and his wife, Melissa were also in attendance. Additionally, Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Nancy were in attendance as well.
“We were astonished, impressed, gratified with what has been done to hold with the pioneer ancestry of this traditional great temple and house of the Lord to bring it into current technology and needs and configuration of rooms, all of which is essential for it to perform its service for decades to come,” said President Oaks in a Church press release.
This is the second refurbishment of the Mesa Arizona Temple. The temple was also rededicated in 1975 by then Church President Spencer W. Kimball.
According to a Church press release, roughly 347,000 people attended an open house for the temple in the fall. Those guests include representatives from Arizona’s interfaith community, and government leaders.
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the Church’s seventh operating temple and was the first in Arizona. Currently, there are more than 250 temples that have either been announced, under construction or in operation around the world.
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