President Thomas Monson dedicates Boise Idaho Temple

Posted: Monday, November 19, 2012 12:03 am | Updated: 12:08 am, Mon Nov 19, 2012.

By IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE STAFF

BOISE — Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the newly renovated Boise Idaho Temple Sunday. Three dedicatory sessions were held to give members of the Church an opportunity to participate in the special meetings, which were also broadcast in Idaho and eastern Oregon.

Joining President Monson for the dedication were Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy. Choirs comprised of Latter-day Saints from throughout the temple district provided music for the dedication.

The dedication is the culminating event in the 18-month renovation time line. A youth cultural celebration of singing and dancing, titled “Treasure the Light,” was held Saturday. About 9,200 area youth staged the production featuring more than 4,000 dancers, 99 fiddlers and a 1,000-voice youth choir. President Monson also addressed the audience assembled for the program. Additionally, almost 170,000 visitors toured the temple during the four-week public open house from Oct. 13 to Nov. 10.

The temple closed in July of 2011 for an extensive renovation of the grounds and the interior. The variegated marble that characterized the temple’s exterior was replaced with a 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.

While the Church’s 18,000-plus meetinghouses are open to all people who wish to attend religious services there, temples — after they are formally dedicated — are open only to Church members.

Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. A temple is considered a “house of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity.

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Our ward was assigned to go to the 3rd session, at 3pm. Elder Bednar gave the dedicatory prayer in this session. All five of us were able to go and hear several great talks and a select area choir. President Monson told that the Cultural Celebration was magnificent! The temple opens for regular sessions on Tuesday, November 20th.