New Temple Dedicated in Sacramento

You have probably seen one on your travels:
  a huge while edifice with spires looming above a major
freeway. 
 You have probably seen one on your travels:  a huge while edifice with spires looming above a major freeway.  There is one in Oakland, above Interstate 580; one in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. above the Beltway; one near San Diego above Interstate 5.  These buildings  have a vital role in the tradition of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The passerby often thinks of these buildings as akin to cathedrals – large, elaborate structures built to accommodate hundreds of people at a single worship service.  But appearances are deceiving. These temples are actually comprised of many moderate-sized rooms, each meant to accomplish a single purpose.

To members of the Latter-day Saints Church, a temple is “the House of the Lord,” a sacred building where they “receive instruction about the purpose of life and their relationship to God.” 

Ordinary LDS chapels or meeting houses, such as the ones found in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, are used for Sunday worship services, meetings, classes, sports and public events.  Anyone is always welcome to attend. But temples, once officially dedicated, are open only to Mormons in good standing who wear special white clothing – symbolizing purity – as they perform their duties.  

Each type of room in a temple is dedicated to a unique role:

n A Baptistry  dedicated to “vicarious baptism,” performed on behalf of deceased family members to bring them into the faith, one of the reasons members are so interested in genealogical research

n An Endowment Room where lectures and video presentations help members learn about the fold of Jesus Christ in bringing redemption

n A Sealing Room where marriages are performed to  last through eternity (as contrasted to “’til death do us part”)

n A Celestial Room decorated to foster  reverent meditation on the harmony and peace promised by “Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Although traditional Mormon Temples are enormous (Oakland’s is 95,000 square feet, for example, San Diego’s is 72,000 square feet), a program was started  by church officials about a decade ago to build smaller temples in more locations, closer to church members.  On Sept. 3, the church’s 123rd temple was dedicated in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova.

The Sacramento Temple, constructed of light-gray granite,  has a floor area of 19,500 square feet and occupies a hill overlooking Highway 50 and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is surmounted by a traditional 13-foot golden  statue of the Angel Moroni atop a 30-foot spire.  Now the 80,000 Northern California Latter-day Saints who live closer to Sacramento will be spared the long trip to Oakland to perform their religious duties.

The Sacramento Temple was open for public viewing during a month-long open house before its dedication, hosting as many as 500 visitors on some days.