The First Presidency has announced the dates for the open house and rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, will preside at the Sunday, Dec. 12, rededication, which will be done in three sessions — at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.
A public open house is scheduled from Saturday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Nov. 20, excluding all Sundays during the five-week event. A youth devotional is planned for Saturday, Dec. 11.
The rededication and open house information was released in a June 25 letter from the First Presidency.
The rededicatory sessions and youth devotional will be broadcast to all units in the Mesa Arizona Temple district.
Announced June 2017, the temple renovations began May 2018 — the second major renewal for the 94-year-old temple. Original plans for the Mesa temple were announced in October 1919, with a groundbreaking held on April 25, 1922, and President Heber J. Grant dedicating the 120,000-square-foot building on Oct. 23, 1927.
The temple is the Church’s seventh chronologically in the terms of dedicated and operating temples, following the St. George Utah, Logan Utah, Manti Utah, Salt Lake, Laie Hawaii and Cardston Alberta temples. In 1945, it became the first temple to offer ordinances in a language other than English, with Spanish ordinances performed.
In February 1972, the Mesa Arizona Temple was closed for extensive remodeling, adding new technology in the ordinance rooms as well as a new entrance. With an expansion of 17,000 additional square feet, the temple saw an increase in ordinance rooms and larger dressing rooms.
President Spencer W. Kimball, who was raised in Arizona, rededicated the Mesa temple on April 16, 1975.
Additional details of the temple rededication will be announced later.
In addition to the temple renovation, the temple grounds underwent significant redevelopment as well, with garden areas and more trees for shade added.
The original temple visitors’ center, built in 1958 to the north of the temple and renovated itself in 1981, was razed, with a new visitors’ center built across the street from the temple grounds’ northwest corner.
The new Mesa Visitors’ Center — which includes a family history center and housing — will be dedicated on Aug. 12, in advance of the temple rededication.
