Kona Hawaii Temple

Dedication of the Kona Hawaii Temple

While heading to a birthday party, Wally Bell — public affairs director for the Kona Hawaii Stake — was caught in busy traffic on the road leading to the Kona Hawaii Temple. “I didn’t know what was happening until I got up closer to the temple, and I noticed the lights were on,” she later recalled about the first night the temple lights were turned on. “For many evenings later, the traffic was just backed up. It was a beautiful sight.”

A beacon of light and hope, the Kona Hawaii Temple was dedicated by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley in four sessions from Jan. 23 to Jan. 24, 2000. He was joined by President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, an Area Seventy and native of Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Kona temple was the last house of the Lord in Hawaii to be announced in the 20th century. Its dedication was part of a yearlong celebration commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Church being established in Hawaii.

“We have people who have been waiting for this for generations,” said Kona stake President Phillip E. Harris about the temple.

He continued: “We’ve got wards now that have over 70% temple recommend holders among the endowed members. We’re working so that the whole stake is over 70% of those endowed who have current temple recommends. There’s just a feeling and a spirit that’s come over the people because of this temple that’s just a tremendous effect, not only with members but also with the others who have sensed the Spirit.”

Abigail Kailimai of the Honomu Branch of the Hilo Hawaii Stake, whose parents attended the Laie Hawaii Temple dedication in 1919, led the choir during the first dedicatory session for the Kona temple.

“The Lord has been so good to me,” Kailimai told the Church News. “I never thought I’d get to lead the temple choir. My mother died when she was 67. I never thought I’d reach 85.” After the first dedicatory session, her grandchildren asked Kailimai what she wanted to do next. She replied, “Work in the temple.”

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “For many years now, a sacred house of the Lord has stood in Laie on the island of Oahu. Saints from all over Hawaii have traveled to that house to receive those blessings which are granted only in temples of the Lord. Now we have this second temple, here on the Big Island. May the work increase. May there come into the hearts of the people a growing desire to come to the house of the Lord, here to taste the sweet refreshment of the Holy Spirit. May the influence of this, Thy house be felt among Thy people, and may it find expression in their lives and in their homes.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Kona Hawaii Temple here.

In May 1998, the Church announced plans to build a temple in Kona, Hawaii. Just under a year later, Elder John B. Dickson, a General Authority Seventy and president of the North America West Area, broke ground on the site for the house of the Lord. The Kona temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on Jan. 23, 2000.

The Kona temple was closed for renovations in October 2023.

Architecture and Design of the Kona Hawaii Temple

The Kona Hawaii Temple has an exterior of white marble veneer and contains two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and the baptistry. Covering an area of 10,700 square feet, the structure sits on a 7-acre site overlooking the ocean and has a view of Mount Hualālai.

Starting in October 2023, the temple started undergoing renovation and expansion, which will increase its area to 12,000 square feet. Construction efforts are planned to be completed by late 2025.