The First Presidency has announced open house and rededication dates for the newly renovated Boise Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from Saturday, 13 October through 10 November 2012, excluding Sundays. Free reservations for the open house can be made through the www.boisemormontemple.org website in the coming weeks.
The temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday 18 November 2012 in three sessions. In conjunction with the rededication of the temple, there will also be a cultural celebration featuring music and dance on Saturday, 17 November 2012.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The Boise temple is the 27th operating temple of the Church’s 138 temples worldwide. It is one of four temples in Idaho, with others in Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, and Rexburg. A fifth temple in Meridian is currently in the planning and approval phase.
The temple closed in July 2011 for an extensive renovation of the grounds and the interior. The variegated marble that characterized the temple’s exterior has been replaced with white granite. A new gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni sits atop the temple’s tallest spire. Inside, the temple interior is fully renovated with new finishes and furnishings.
About temples
While tens of thousands of Church meetinghouses are open to all people who wish to attend religious services there, temples, like the Boise Idaho Temple, are open only to faithful Latter-day Saints after they are formally dedicated. (See a Mormon Newsroom article explaining the difference between the Church’s chapels and temples.)
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism, and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and their fellowman.