Groundbreaking Held for Fort Worth Texas Temple 

Ground has been broken for the Fort Worth Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Jose L. Alonso, a General Authority Seventy and First Counselor in the North America Southwest Area Presidency, presided at the event on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

During the dedicatory prayer, Elder Alonso offered words in reverence, and expressed gratitude for Jesus Christ. “Our hearts are full of appreciation for the treasured gift of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. His divine mission provides hope and purpose. Through His atonement, we find solace during trials, and through His grace, we are fortified with strength and encouragement to serve our neighbors,” he said. 

Elder Alonso also asked for blessings upon the surrounding community and area youth during the dedicatory prayer.

 “We pray thy blessings upon all our beloved neighbors wishing them peace and solace as they unite in the pursuit of joy and hope, he expressed, and he also asked for blessings upon the area youth, stating, “loving Father, bless the youth of this area igniting within them a fervent desire for goodness, unity, and truth.”

The Fort Worth Texas Temple was announced in October 2021 by President Russell M. Nelson. Construction will commence on a 9.37-acre site located north of Southwest Hulen Street and Greenridge Drive, Burleson, Texas. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet.

In addition to the Fort Worth Texas Temple, the Lone Star State has seven other houses of the Lord in operation, under construction, or announced. These are the Austin, Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, Prosper, San Antonio, and the McAllen Texas temples. The McAllen Texas Temple was dedicated earlier this month on October 8, 2023, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Local faith, government, and civic leaders attended Saturday’s groundbreaking ceremony. 

Claire Hunter, a youth speaker from the Alliance Stake in Fort Worth, Texas, shared her insight about worship in the temple, and its significance in her life. “In the temple I feel spiritually in tune with my Savior, and the sanctuary of peace and comfort felt is something you can feel no where else.” She continued to describe her experience serving in the temple for the first time. “I was clearly able to hear the Holy Ghost speak to me.”

“This temple will enable those to attend a temple nearby who have made the long trip to Dallas for many years,” added Vicki Svendsen, a local member and long-term resident of Fort Worth. She paid tribute to her great-grandparents who arrived in Texas in the 1860s and became the first members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area, settling a few miles from where the new temple site will be.  

Located in the South-Central United States, Texas was first visited by missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ in 1843. In 1898, about 300 Church members settled on land purchased by the Church in northeast Texas that would become the colony of Kelsey.

Church growth in Texas has been rapid in recent decades, with more than 132,000 Latter-day Saints in 1985 growing to just over 210,000 in 2000. Today, Texas is home to more than 378,000 members in nearly 750 congregations.

Latter-day Saints consider temples to be houses of the Lord and the most sacred places on earth. Temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses (chapels). All are welcome to attend Sunday worship services and other weekday activities in local meetinghouses. The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever, and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.