Sacramento, California - Mormon Temple
The First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced on April 21, 2001 that a Mormon temple would be built in the Sacramento, California area. This temple will be the seventh Mormon temple in California. Despite the numerous temples in California, the need is still there. The Sacramento, California temple is going to serve a growing membership which totals approximately 80,000 in the area.
Plans for building the temple were met with little resistance by the surrounding communities and government bodies. Many were glad for the building of the temple in the area because it would improve the land, and bring visitors and money into the area. There was some concern about the height of the temple spire and the Church agreed to lower it twenty feet.
On August 22, 2004 a site dedication and groundbreaking ceremony were held. President of the Mormon Church, Gordon B. Hinckley led this ceremony and gave the site dedication prayer. Other prominent Church members from the area also attended the groundbreaking and site dedication, including Congressman John Doolittle and Mayor Rockholm. The site for the temple includes 46 acres and overlooks the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the grounds will be designed to fit in to the surrounding landscape. The temple design is slightly larger than most of the Mormon temples currently under construction. The temple will have 19,500 square feet, two ordinance rooms and four sealing rooms.
An open house is scheduled for July 29-August 26, 2006, to allow members of the Church as well as non-members the opportunity to see the inside of the Mormon temple. Tickets to the open house are free and will begin being offered on Monday, June 26, 2006 at 9:00 am Mountain Standard Time. Those interested in tickets can reserve them online through the Mormon Church’s website (www.lds.org).
The dedication of the Sacramento, California Mormon temple is scheduled to take place on September 3, 2006. The dedication will be given in four sessions to allow all those who would like to attend the opportunity. The night before the dedication, a cultural celebration is planned.
Other Links:
The Mormon Temple: Temples, Mormons and Masons
Mormon Temples-World Wide Mormon Temples
Masonry and Mormon Temple