Work on Temples Progresses Worldwide

The year 2006 brought Church members the blessings of two new temples and the announcement of three more to come. There are 124 operating temples throughout the world as of December 2006.

Sacramento California Temple

The Sacramento California Temple, announced in April 2001, was dedicated Sunday, September 3, 2006. Elder Richard H. Winkel, former member of the Seventy, serves as president of the temple along with his wife, Karen. California’s 33.2 million inhabitants include nearly 800,000 Latter-day Saints, making up 2.2 percent of the state’s population. Members in California will now be served by seven temples—Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Fresno, Redlands, Newport Beach, and Sacramento. The Sacramento temple will serve 73,400 members in nearby areas.

Helsinki Finland Temple

The Helsinki Finland Temple was dedicated Sunday, October 22, 2006, in four sessions. The Helsinki temple is the 10th in Europe and the 3rd in the Nordic countries. Temples in Stockholm and Copenhagen were completed in 1985 and 2004, respectively. Melvin J. Luthy serves as president of the temple along with his wife, Anne. The Helsinki temple will serve approximately 26,000 members living in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia.

Under Construction

Work continues on the Rexburg Idaho Temple, announced in December 2003. A statue of the angel Moroni was placed atop the temple on September 21, 2006, a significant date in history for the Church. Beginning on this date in 1823, the angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith five times within a 24-hour period. The Rexburg temple will be the third in Idaho. A dedication date has not been set.

Construction for the Twin Falls Idaho Temple began in April 2006 and is expected to last about two years. The Twin Falls temple, the fourth in Idaho, will serve some 40,000 Church members from 14 stakes in south-central Idaho. A dedication date has not been set.

President Gordon B. Hinckley first announced the Draper Utah Temple at the October 2004 general conference of the Church. A groundbreaking for the Draper Utah Temple took place on August 5, 2006. The Draper temple will be the 12th temple in Utah and the 3rd in the Salt Lake Valley. A dedication date has not been set.

Temple Announcements

Other temples announced in 2006 include Tegucigalpa Honduras, Vancouver British Columbia, and Cebu Philippines.

For more information about temples across the globe, visit the Church’s Temples Web site (www.lds.org/temples).

The statue of the Angel Moroni was placed on the Rexburg Idaho Temple on the anniversary of Moroni’s first appearance to Joseph Smith.