The First Presidency has announced a date for the dedication of the Pocatello Idaho Temple.

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will dedicate the temple in three sessions on Sunday, Nov. 7, according to a Newsroom release.

An open house for the public will be Saturday, Sept. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 23, except for Sundays and general conference Oct. 2–3. A youth devotional will be Saturday, Nov. 6.

The dedicatory sessions and youth devotional will be broadcast to all congregations in the Pocatello Idaho Temple District, located in southeast Idaho. Additional details of the temple dedication are forthcoming.

The last temple dedicated was the Durban South Africa Temple on Feb. 20, 2020, just prior to the sweeping global COVID-19 pandemic. Dedications scheduled later in 2020 for three temples — the Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Winnipeg Manitoba and Washington D.C. — were postponed.

Announced in April 2017 by President Thomas S. Monson, the Pocatello temple is located east of Satterfield Drive and Butte Street and will be the sixth operating temple in Idaho. Other temples are located in Boise, Rexburg, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Meridian. President Russell M. Nelson announced a seventh temple for Idaho, to be built in Burley, during April 2021 general conference.

Rendering of the baptistry in the Pocatello Idaho Temple.

Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elder Wilford W. Andersen, a General Authority Seventy and president of the former Idaho Area, presided at the groundbreaking of the Pocatello Idaho Temple in March 2019. In his dedicatory prayer commencing construction of the future temple, Elder Andersen noted the blessings that await a community that will soon become a “temple city.”

“As it is transformed into a beautiful garden spot, we pray that it will bring a sense of peace and reverence to this wonderful city,” he prayed. “We are thankful for the harmony and unity we feel among the citizens of this community, Father, and we pray that every righteous endeavor they undertake will be prospered by Thy all-powerful hand.”

More than 2,500 youth gathered to help prepare the temple site prior to the groundbreaking. Watching young people from all corners of the community answer a call to serve, “was a highlight of the groundbreaking experience,” said Troy Dye, a former stake president who helped coordinate the groundbreaking events.

A crane placed the Angel Moroni statue atop the Pocatello Idaho Temple spire on March 10 — nearly on the two-year anniversary of the temple’s groundbreaking.  

Rendering of a sealing room in the Pocatello Idaho Temple.

Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints